Little Green
by RowArk
Summary: Post 3b, AU (No Frozen). Emma fears she may have brought someone else back with her from the past: a lost little red-haired girl in dire need of a second chance, who could also prove to be Emma's second chance. And Regina's, if she can find forgiveness in her heart. Mommy!Emma, reluctant Mommy!Regina, and SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**Little Green**

By RowArk

* * *

"Little Green, have a happy ending."

\- Joni Mitchell

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 _Well, you just better hope to hell you didn't bring anything else back._

Regina's words echoed in Emma's head as she raced in the Bug, back to the warehouse where Zelena's time portal was. She hadn't even _thought_ to check if anything - or anyone - else had come through the portal with herself, Hook and Marian. She hoped she wasn't too late, just in case something did.

She felt bad for taking off when Regina was so clearly in pain over the return of Marian and the loss of Robin, but if something dangerous or magical had come through the portal with them, she needed to know now. She was probably the last person in Storybrooke - or on earth, maybe - that Regina even _wanted_ to see, anyway. If something else came back, perhaps she could just take care of it herself now, and not incur any more of Regina's wrath, at least.

She was pulled up in front of the dark warehouse, her gun holstered but within easy reach as she climbed out of the Bug and made her way, quietly, up to the door. It was still closed tight, as she and Hook had left it, so she cracked the door open and pulled out her flashlight, shining it inside.

"Hello?" she called, as she stepped slowly into the warehouse. "Anyone here?"

She thought she heard a slight flurry of movement, but no answer. Maybe it was just an animal? She hoped that was true as she made her way across the floor.

"Hello? I just want to talk," she called again, shining her light in all directions, as she heard the movement again. There was definitely something here, but what it was, she couldn't tell by the sound alone.

 _Shit. Regina's going to kill me._

"Hello?" The panic was rising in Emma's voice, as she heard a muffled sound - almost like a whimper - coming from the far corner of the warehouse. She strained her ears as she moved quietly in the direction of the sound. It could be the wind playing tricks on her, or a small wounded animal or…

A child.

Emma stopped in her tracks as the beam from her flashlight fell onto the form of a small child curled into a ball in the corner. She couldn't be more than five, with a mass of curly red hair and big watery blue eyes. She was dressed in a simple white cotton dress, and she was trembling in fear as her gaze met Emma's.

Emma dropped to a crouch, attempting to put herself on level with the child. "Hey, there," she said, softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Emma and I'm the sheriff. I'm gonna help you, okay?"

The little girl didn't respond, as big tears started to make their way down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered, but she kept her eyes locked on Emma's. Emma studied her, thinking that her clothes didn't much remind her of what she had seen in the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps she wasn't from there? Maybe she was a child from Storybrooke, just lost.

"Where's your Mommy and Daddy, sweetheart? Do you know where your home is?" Emma asked.

The girl didn't speak.

"Okay, I'm gonna help you, okay? I'll get you out of this dark building, alright?" Emma asked, holding out her hand for the little one to take. After a few moments of hesitation, the girl decided to take Emma's hand, and Emma smiled. "You're safe with me, kid," Emma vowed, as she led the little girl across the dark room and outside.

The girl froze when she saw Emma's car, and looked up at her in confusion, like she'd never seen a car before in her life.

 _Shit. Maybe she did come from the Enchanted Forest. Shit shit shit._

Emma suddenly realized that if she _did_ come from the past, she had a bigger issue to worry about than whether or not Regina would be pissed. This child may very well now be separated from her parents.

Or perhaps her parents were in Storybrooke, as well as a present-day, likely older, Storybrooke version of the child.

The possible ramifications of bringing someone back who probably _wasn't_ dead in their current timeline were making Emma's head spin.

 _One thing at a time, Swan. Start with the car._

"Sweetie, this is just a car. It will take us away from here and back to town, where the people are. It won't hurt you," Emma said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

To her surprise, the girl was actually looking at the car more quizzically than fearfully, and didn't protest when Emma opened the door and helped her get inside. She didn't even object to the seat belt.

 _Maybe she does know what a car is?_

Emma couldn't decide if she knew, or she was just choosing to trust her, but she didn't have time to debate on that now. She needed to get the girl to the sheriff's station so she could figure out who the hell she was, and where she came from. She was still hoping it was a 'where' and not a 'when'.

Emma glanced at the little one as she drove. Her wide blue eyes were taking in all the sights through the window with a look of wonder, and it appeared to Emma that none of this was familiar to her.

 _Enchanted Forest. Definitely Enchanted Forest. Shit._

She was relieved to see David's pick-up in front of the sheriff's station when she pulled up. He would know for sure if this child was from the fairy tale world… or so she hoped.

"Come with me, kid," Emma said, as she opened the passenger side door. "Let's see if we can figure out just where you came from."

The little redhead latched onto Emma's hand immediately as they climbed the steps up to the Sheriff's station. Little fingers squeezed Emma's tightly, and she looked down to take in the positively distraught look on the little girl's face.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not going to leave you," Emma assured her. She knew that look: it was the look she wore whenever a social worker walked her up to the steps of a new home. It was a look that that all the foster kids she had known had worn all too often. The look that meant you had no idea what was waiting behind that door; all you knew was you had to face it alone.

But this little one wasn't alone, and Emma was determined to make sure she stayed that way.

"I won't let go of your hand for anything, I promise," Emma continued, as she pushed open the station door with her free hand. To Emma's relief, the girl seemed to relax slightly at that promise.

Thankfully, the station was nearly empty, as most of Storybrooke was still celebrating at Granny's - celebrating Emma and Hook's safe return from the past, even though Emma had left and Hook was likely three sheets to the wind and passed out on a bench by the docks by now. If Emma had learned anything about Storybrooke in her short time here, it was that the residents grabbed onto any chance to celebrate.

Emma found David quickly, and led the lost little girl through the otherwise empty station, up to David's desk, where he looked up from his paperwork.

"Who do we have here?" David asked, looking at the girl in surprise, but offering her a warm smile.

"Not sure," Emma admitted. "I found her at the warehouse. I was… checking… to make sure I didn't bring anyone else back from the past."

David frowned and shook his head, knowing full well that his daughter meant she was doing last minute damage control, to ensure that she didn't further enrage the hotheaded mayor.

"And you think you brought her back?"

"I don't know? I don't remember seeing her, and she's not talking," Emma explained, giving the girl another reassuring squeeze of her hand. Big blue eyes looked up at David and Emma in awe, but not fear.

"Is she Merida?" Henry called out, causing Emma to whip her head around in surprise. The boy was running through the station door.

"Where'd you come from, kid?" Emma asked.

Henry shrugged. "You and my mom both left the diner, Grandma had to take Neal home and Gramps is here, so I came here. So, is that who she is? Merida?" Henry asked, excitedly.

Emma looked from the girl, back to Henry, and then to Gold, who was sauntering into the station right behind her son. The smirk on his face told Emma that _he_ knew exactly who this child was, and he seemed disturbingly pleased with himself and his apparent knowledge.

"Thought I might find you here," Gold mused, as he leaned back against the door frame. "I sensed magic in the air."

Gold was looking at the child, but Emma could only assume his ambiguous statement was directed at her. She turned her attention back to Henry, figuring Gold would speak up when he felt like it, and she wasn't about to start begging him for answers. _She_ was the Sheriff, she could figure this out on her own. Or maybe with Henry's help. "Who's Merida?"

"You know, from _Brave_? The princess with the bow and arrow?" Henry said, rolling his eyes.

"Never seen it. I thought my mother was the princess with the bow and arrow?" Emma smirked. The little one didn't seem to be reacting at the name 'Merida', so Emma guessed it was safe to assume that wasn't who she was.

Henry let out an exasperated sigh. "No! Mom, Merida is the red-haired Irish princess!"

"Scottish, dearie," Gold corrected, with a fleeting, wistful look in his eyes. Before Emma could even begin to wonder what _that_ was about, he continued. "I think if she ever speaks, you'll find this little one is anything but. Scottish, or a princess, I mean."

"Then who is she, Gold?" David asked, impatiently. "Emma thinks she came back from the past, but that dress didn't come from the Enchanted Forest."

Gold smirked, and looked at the little girl again. "No, you're right about that. She didn't come here from the Enchanted Forest. She's from Oz."

"Oz," Emma repeated, slowly nodded as she looked down at the little one again. The redhead was looking back at her with wide eyes. She hadn't looked scared when they first got here, but Emma guessed by her change in demeanor that Gold was making her nervous. She gripped her hand a little tighter, and pulled the girl closer to her legs. Gold could make anyone nervous on a good day, she didn't want to imagine what it would feel like to be a small child in his presence.

"Oz, like Zelena," David said. The little girl's mouth dropped open at the mention of the name, and Emma shot Gold an accusatory look, suddenly having a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what was going on here.

Well, roughly what was going on here.

"Exactly like Zelena," Gold smirked, looking down at the girl again.

Emma felt the child tremble against her leg, and she'd had about all she could take of Gold's taunting. Without a second thought, she scooped the girl up, and placed her on her hip, before turning to Gold again. "What the hell did you do?" she hissed.

Gold's face didn't change as he observed Emma with amusement. "What did I do? Well, certainly not as much as I _could_ have done," he replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"No," I want an answer. Now," Emma demanded.

Gold, however, was enjoying himself far too much to let Emma in on his secret. "I don't owe you _anything_ , dearie," he said, before poofing himself away in a cloud of red smoke.

Emma groaned and rolled her eyes, just as Henry spoke up.

"So... now what?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

"So... now what?"

Emma sighed as she looked at the little girl again, wishing she had an answer to give her son.

Truthfully, she didn't have a clue what to do now.

"Zelena?" Emma asked, tentatively. "Is that your name?"

The girl nodded, but still opted not to speak.

Emma chewed on her bottom lip as she rubbed her hand in reassuring circles on the child's back. Gold was certainly going to be of no help - and was clearly also to blame - in this situation, so that only meant one thing.

"We have to tell my mom," Henry said, vocalizing the thing that Emma didn't want to do most.

"I know, kid," Emma nodded, glancing at David.

"Or, we could try Blue?" David suggested.

Emma sighed. Blue was an option, but she couldn't think about that right now. "I can't not tell Regina first. She's already…" Emma glanced at Henry, not wanting to go into too many details with her son in the room. "I have to tell her."

"I'll come with you," Henry offered, and Emma was relieved. At least Henry could act as a buffer. Regina wouldn't roast her in front of their son, would she?

Outside, Emma helped Zelena into the back seat while Henry got in the passenger side. "I'm going to let her know we're coming," he said, taking out his phone.

"Don't tell her I'm with you," Emma warned. "It's better if she doesn't know."

"Mom, she can't stay mad at you forever. You didn't know who Marian was," Henry pointed out as he shot Regina a text.

"Yeah, well, kid, I don't think she sees it that way." Emma sighed as she started the car. She noted the concerned look on Henry's face, and continued. "Look, I don't think she'll be mad forever, but she's mad now and she doesn't want to see me."

Henry nodded, and didn't object any further as they drove in silence. Emma checked the rearview mirror a couple times and noticed that Zelena seemed to be getting sleepy. Maybe it would be easier if the kid conked out completely, just in case Regina wasn't too thrilled to see her, either.

Emma wanted to laugh at the thought. Of course Regina wasn't going to be happy to see her. Zelena had set this whole thing in motion, in the first place. But then, this little Zelena hadn't done any of that, and Emma was sure Regina would see it that way, too.

Or, at least she hoped she would. Convincing Regina to be rational was about as easy as nailing Jell-o to a tree.

Emma parked on the street in front of Regina's house, making sure her Bug was well hidden behind the hedges that lined the front of the property. She didn't want to give Regina any advance warning she was there, lest she be met by a fireball when she knocked on the door.

Sure enough, when she opened the back door, she found Zelena asleep. She undid her seatbelt and picked her up gently, trying hard not to wake the little girl. She sighed as she stood upright again, holding Zelena tight to her. She was sure this was going to go terribly, but she was also sure this had to happen.

Emma followed Henry up to the door, surveying the mansion. All the lights were out and Emma wondered if perhaps Regina wasn't even home. It seemed awfully early for her to be in bed, but then again, she was nursing a broken heart.

Emma ran her hand nervously through Zelena's soft hair as she watched Henry unlock the door.

"Mom?" Henry called out, as he stepped inside the darkened house. Emma followed him inside and stopped just inside the entryway.

"I'll just wait here," Emma mouthed. Henry nodded and headed up the stairs, calling for Regina again.

Emma sighed and pressed her back against the wall, rubbing Zelena's back absently. The child wasn't heavy by any means, but she was deadweight in her slumber, and Emma just wanted to get this over with so she could figure out a place to put the kid.

Moments later, lights flicked on above her, and Emma heard footsteps on the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina demanded as she stormed into the entryway, Henry close behind.

"Mom! If you'd calm down for two seconds I could explain!"

But Regina ignored Henry, her eyes boring angrily into Emma's. "Well, Miss Swan?"

Regina's eyes were hard but Emma detected the slightest tremor in her voice. She noted, however, that Regina didn't even seem to notice she was holding a child; didn't notice, or didn't care.

"I went back to the warehouse, to make sure I didn't bring anything else back," Emma said, her voice more timid than she had intended. She realized then, pissing Regina off had affected her more than she thought.

"Yes, well, clearly you did," Regina snapped, her eyes finally landing on the sleeping redhead.

"Not exactly," Emma sighed. "Gold... I don't know what he did, but somehow..."

"Spit it out, Miss Swan! I don't have all night."

Emma rolled her eyes. She was fairly sure Regina did have all night. But now was not the time for picking a fight.

"She's Zelena," Emma said, finally. "Gold did something, a spell, I don't know... but this is Zelena."

"Zelena killed herself," Regina stated.

"Yeah, well, apparently not," Emma said, shifting against the wall as the child's weight became more of a strain on her back.

Regina set her jaw with determination, as she rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm still not sure why you felt the need to bring her here."

"She's your sister," Emma replied, taken slightly aback. "I thought you'd might like to know."

"Just because we share maternal DNA doesn't make her my sister," Regina scoffed. "If you think you'll be leaving her here with me, think again."

Emma was seething. "You know, you wanna be pissed at me, be pissed at me. I'm trying to do the right thing here and offer you a chance to spend time with your sister, but if you're not interested, then sorry I bothered."

"Emma?" A tiny voice calmed Emma instantly as Zelena looked up, and Emma was relieved that the child was finally talking. "Where are we?"

"Nowhere," Emma said, shooting Regina a glare. "We're just leaving. You're coming home with me. Come on, Henry."

Henry hesitated as he looked back and forth between Emma and Regina, trying to decide whether to stay or go. "Uh, I think maybe I should stay here," he suggested.

Emma nodded, knowing that most of Regina's snark was really a defense mechanism; a feeble attempt to cover up the pain she was feeling over Robin and Marian. "Okay, kid," she agreed, as she turned to head back down to her car.

"Do you have a car seat for her?" Regina called after her, taking Emma by surprise. Emma stopped and turned back, to find Regina standing in the doorway, trying her best not to look concerned.

"Uh, no. Where would I have gotten a car seat?" Emma asked. Truthfully, a car seat hadn't even crossed her mind. She'd remembered riding with just a lap belt when she was five, but she supposed that was the eighties, and safety protocols had changed drastically since then.

Regina rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist. "There," she said, before turning on her heel and slamming the door behind her. Emma just shook her head as she continued down the pathway and back to the bug, which, sure enough, now had a top of the line booster seat in the middle of the back seat.

"Who was that lady?" Zelena asked, as Emma got her strapped into the car seat.

"Just someone I know," Emma replied, deciding not to inform the child that she had an older sister - who was technically her younger sister - who wanted nothing to do with her. She was sure Regina would come around on her own time, and she couldn't worry about that right now. She had to worry about this little girl.

Emma turned on the radio as she drove back to the loft. Zelena seemed intrigued by it, and though Emma knew Oz was nothing like this world, if the movies were to be believed, she knew they at least had some technology there, and she guessed that's why none of this was frightening to Zelena.

"Come on, kid," Emma said, taking Zelena's hand as she led her up to the loft. She hoped David had informed Snow, as she was sure there was still some bad blood there as well. "You're gonna stay with me tonight, okay?"

Zelena just nodded, and Emma guessed that even she knew she didn't really have any other options at the moment.

"Mom?" Emma called out as she opened the door, not too loudly, in case Neal was sleeping. Snow jumped up from the couch and hurried over, looking at Zelena, confused.

"I thought you were going to tell Regina?" she asked.

"I did," Emma nodded. "We'll talk about it later, okay? I just want to get her some food, a bath, and into bed. It's been a long day for me. I'm sure it's been an exhausting day for her."

Snow nodded and headed to the kitchen to make a snack for their new little house guest.

After Zelena had eaten - in complete silence - Emma took her by the hand and led her upstairs to her bathroom. She started the tub, filling it with warm later and lavender oil.

"Just a quick bath, okay, sweetie?" Emma said, as she helped Zelena out of her dress. The child was filthy, probably from her time in the warehouse, and Emma was sure she'd feel much better after a bath. Zelena nodded as Emma stopped the water and lifted her into the tub.

"Where did Mommy and Daddy go?" Zelena asked, quietly, as Emma went to work scrubbing the dirt off of her.

"I don't know, kid," Emma said. Truthfully, she didn't really know anything about Zelena's adoptive parents, but considering how she turned out, she supposed she didn't really want to know, either. "They're not here, though, so you're going to stay with me for a little while, okay? I'll keep you safe, I promise."

Zelena just nodded, and Emma could tell she was getting sleepy again, probably thanks to the lavender. Once she was clean, Emma lifted her back out of the tub and wrapped her in a soft towel, and led her back into her bedroom. She searched through her drawers to find something for Zelena to wear to bed.

"Here, kid, this should work," Emma said, taking the towel away and putting an old T-shirt on her instead.

Zelena looked down at the logo on the shirt. "The Clash?" she asked, looking up at Emma, confused.

Emma shrugged. "It's a band… nevermind. You can read?"

Zelena nodded, as if that was a normal thing for a five-year-old. Emma wondered if maybe it was. She couldn't read at five, but she hadn't exactly had the most nurturing of environments to learn in, either.

"Smart kid," she acknowledged, as she stepped over to pull back the covers on the bed. "Come on, climb in."

Zelena trudged over to the bed, and climbed in, with Emma's assistance.

"Do you need a story or something? To fall asleep?" Emma wondered.

Zelena shrugged. "I don't know," she said.

Emma glanced around the room, realizing she really didn't have anything to read to the girl, anyway. She spotted a comic book that Henry had left behind. "The Incredible Hulk?" she asked, holding the book up.

Zelena shook her head, and Emma realized she was already half asleep anyway, so she just sat down on the edge of the bed, and tucked her in.

"I'll be back up in a few minutes, okay? There's not a ton of space here, so we'll have to share this bed. And I'll get you some books tomorrow, I promise."

Zelena nodded, despite the fact that her eyes were now completely closed, and Emma got up, and headed back downstairs to talk to her mother.

"So, what happened with Regina?" Snow asked, the second Emma was back down the stairs.

Emma shrugged and took the cup of hot chocolate her mother already had waiting for her.

"She doesn't want anything to do with her. I mean, I'm not really all that surprised. It's mostly my fault anyway."

"Honey, it's not your fault that the woman you saved turned out to be Marian. You had to save her, that's what heroes do," Snow assured her.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. And she knew her mother was right. She couldn't have just let Marian die - at Regina's hands, no less - and she had no way of knowing that the woman she saved would turn out to be Robin Hood's wife.

Still, this wasn't a logical situation, and thus logic didn't apply. It was pure emotion, and Regina was hurting and Emma blamed herself.

But she couldn't dwell on Regina right now. Regina was strong, and resilient, and she would get through this with or without Emma's help, Emma was sure.

So until Regina came around, Emma decided she would have to focus her attention on Zelena. Emma was the savior, after all, and right now she couldn't think of anyone more in need of saving than that little girl upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"I don't want her here."

Emma cringed and turned around at Regina's voice. After a morning of clothing, book and toy shopping, and lunch at Granny's, she'd brought Zelena to the park to burn off some of her seemingly endless energy supply.

Emma shot a glance at the little one, dressed in a thin, long green sweater that almost looked like a short dress, with black leggings, and her red hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Emma couldn't help but think how adorable she looked in her new clothes, and she appeared to have already made a friend with another little girl, with whom she was now fully engrossed in a game of tag with, and seemed to be completely oblivious to what Emma was doing.

Emma turned back to Regina. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I don't want her in Storybrooke. She killed Neal and she wreaked havoc on my town and I want her gone," Regina said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and attempting to stare Emma down.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Regina, she's _five_. I don't know what Gold did, but she'd just a little girl right now, and _innocent._ She's not going anywhere."

"Not your decision, sheriff. You don't just get to keep stray children. There are laws."

"Well, last I checked Storybrooke doesn't have a foster system, and the laws don't really apply here anyway," Emma insisted.

"No, you only _think_ they don't apply, and conveniently enough, you think they don't apply to _you,"_ Regina countered.

"Well, then what do you propose that I do, then? Abandon her in the woods? Or should I just drop her back off at the warehouse and let her starve to death?"

"I didn't say _kill_ her!" Regina cried. "But she's not staying here. Take her to Boston, they have a foster system."

"No."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "This isn't a request. You can't keep her. She's an orphan, not a cat you found on the street."

"Regina, you're only saying this because you want to hurt me. You want me to hurt because you're hurting and you blame me for it."

"Well, who else would I blame. It's your fault," Regina scoffed.

"Right, okay, do you have any idea how I even _met_ Marian?"

Regina shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, actually, it does," Emma insisted. She glanced back to Zelena, who was now happily playing on the swings, before turning back to Regina again. "I screwed up my parents meeting, and I had to fix it, because if they didn't meet, I'd never be born."

Regina opened her mouth to make a biting comment, but Emma cut her off before she could continue. "If I wasn't born, then Henry wouldn't be either. I had to fix my mistake, and I stopped one of _your_ knights from killing my mother. Needless to say, you weren't impressed."

Regina faltered a moment at that. In the time since Emma had returned, she hadn't cared to find out what actually happened in the past, and this was all news to her. "You met me, in the past?"

"Yeah, I did," Emma snapped. "And I got a real nice view of what the inside of your dungeon looked like, by the way, which also happens to be where I met Marian. I broke out, and I wasn't about to just let you execute her."

Regina breathed a heavy sigh and shook her head. "I killed Robin's wife?" she said aloud, though she didn't really expect an answer.

"Well, you did… and now you didn't," Emma shrugged. "And, Regina, I'm sorry. I didn't know who she was, I swear. The only reason I brought her with me is because leaving her in the past would have changed the present."

Regina turned her eyes away from Emma, staring off into the distance as she processed this information. Finally, she spoke again. "Well, this doesn't change anything. And, for the record, I'm not telling you to send her away to get back at you. If you really think she's an innocent, then you should want her to have the chance at a mother and a father and a home, rather than camping out with you and your parents at the loft."

Emma smirked. "A mother and a father? You think that's what she'll get from the foster system? You seemed to forget I _lived_ that life. If being a blonde haired, blue eyed _baby_ didn't earn me a family, a five year old doesn't stand a chance."

Regina sighed, knowing that Emma had a point as far as that was concerned. Regina didn't really know much about the inner workings of the foster care system, so she'd have to trust Emma's judgment on that one.

"What's your plan then, Emma? Long-term?"

"I… I honestly don't know. I mean, I don't even know _how_ she is even here, and I don't know how long this will last… I mean, maybe she's permanently age-regressed and living her life over. All I know is, until I have some answers, I'm keeping her. No one ever gave me a chance, Regina, and I'm not going to do that to her."

"She never had a chance, either," Regina said as her eyes found Zelena on the swings, so quietly Emma almost didn't catch it. Emma chose not to comment, thinking that perhaps Regina hadn't _wanted_ her to hear that.

"Regina, I want you to know, I didn't come to your house last night to try to pawn her off on you. I just… I know I screwed up, and I didn't want to make it worse. I thought you would want to know her."

Regina stiffened as she turned back to Emma. "Well, I don't. And why the _hell_ are you dressing her in green?"

"She… liked it? I let her pick out her own things, and she likes green," Emma shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"You said Gold did this?" Regina asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yes, in fact I have told you that twice now."

"I'm going to find out what he did and find a way to undo it," Regina said, nodding decisively, as though she really believed this was the best course of action in the situation.

"Yes, because we'd all love to have the Wicked Witch back."

"Emma!"

Emma turned and grinned as she spotted Zelena running up to her, a matching grin on her little face.

"What's up Little Greenie?" Emma asked, when Zelena reached her. She didn't have to look back to Regina to know she'd just rolled her eyes.

"I made a friend," Zelena said, still grinning.

"I saw that. A little blonde haired girl," Emma said, nodding.

"No! A different friend. A boy. Can he come over and play? His name is Roland," Zelena informed her. Emma's eyes shot to the playground, where she saw Robin and Marian standing with their backs to her, watching Roland play. She turned back to Regina just in time to see her disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Where did your friend go?" Zelena asked, looking confused.

"Don't know, kid. But honey, we have to unload all your new things when we get home. Maybe Roland could come play another day, alright?"

Zelena looked a little dejected, but nodded anyway, before heading back to the playground to play some more. Emma sighed as she watched, knowing that even though Regina wanted nothing to do with her sister, she still wasn't about to have Roland over for a playdate to rub salt in the wounds.

* * *

"What the hell did you do?" Regina demanded as she stormed into Gold's shop.

"Ah, your Majesty," Gold drawled, smirking as he rounded the counter to step up to Regina, who was seething. "I see you've become reacquainted with your estranged sister. She's much more agreeable in this form, wouldn't you say?"

"In this form… Gold? Explain yourself," Regina said, locking her jaw and crossing her arms to show she wasn't in the mood for his games.

"Well, Dearie, I couldn't _kill_ Zelena, but I couldn't very well let her keep running around Storybrooke, terrorizing your fine citizens, now could I?"

"Okay, don't act like you care about anyone in Storybrooke other than yourself. Whatever you did, you did it out of revenge," Regina started. "And what the hell do you mean you couldn't kill her?"

"I made a deal with your mother, Dearie, for her first born," Gold explained, "which prevented me from killing the little bastard. She found a way to weasel herself out of the deal, but I always hold up my end of a bargain."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you," she said. "If you wanted to kill her, you would have."

Gold shrugged, unfazed. "Believe what you want, Dearie."

Regina sighed and shook her head. "So… it's a spell then? How long will it last? Because Emma seems eager to play babysitter."

Gold raised an eyebrow. "Does that bother you?"

"No! But it affects Henry and I need to know," Regina insisted.

"It's irreversible. The ding dong the witch is dead, Dearie."

"For your sake, Gold, you better not be lying."

* * *

"Hey, Little Greenie," Emma called into the living room. Zelena grinned as she looked up from her toys.

"Emma! That's not my name!"

"It's a nickname," Emma shrugged. "Zelena's a big name for a little girl. _And_ it's also bedtime for a certain little girl."

Zelena groaned, and pouted, looking at her toys.

"Don't give me that. Your toys will be there in the morning. Come on, let's go, up the stairs," Emma said. Behind her, Snow smiled and shook her head.

"Are you going to read me a story at least?" Zelena asked, once she was in her mint coloured flannel pajamas, sitting in the middle of Emma's bed.

"Well, I didn't buy you these books for nothing, kid," Emma laughed, picking on up off the pile. "How about this one? _Red is Best_?"

"Green is best," Zelena said, crossing her arms defiantly, in the way only a five-year-old can do.

"Seriously, this kid is you, Greenie," Emma sighed, as she brought the book over and sat on the bed next to Zelena. She read aloud, changing every 'red' to 'green' to appease the little one.

"Emma," Zelena said, sleepily, once the book was done. "Do you think I will ever see my Mommy and Daddy again?"

Emma sighed. "I don't know, kid," she said. "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on, okay? But, for now, you and me are gonna be roommates, alright? I'll take care of you."

"Okay," Zelena agreed, as she scooted down under the covers and curled up against Emma. Emma put her arm around the little girl, and held her long after the child was asleep. If there was one thing in life she knew, it was how scary being in a home full of strangers was, and she was determined to make Zelena feel safe here, Wicked Witch or not.

After a while of cuddling, Emma felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and pulled it out. She fought the urge to roll her eyes when Regina's name appeared on the screen, and she opened the text.

 _Emma, we need to talk_.

"Ugh," Emma whispered quietly to herself. "Wonderful."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 _Emma, we need to talk_.

"Ugh," Emma whispered quietly to herself. "Wonderful."

 _When & where?_, Emma texted back, as she flung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. She pulled the blanket back up over the sleeping little girl and tucked her in as her phone vibrated in her pocket again.

 _My house, tonight, whenever you are free._

 _omw_

Emma shoved her phone in her pocket and headed back down the stairs. "Hey, mom," she said, as she grabbed her jacket and headed to the kitchen. "Zelena's asleep and Regina wants to talk. Can you keep an eye on her while I'm gone, in case she wakes up?"

"Of course, honey," Snow smiled.

"Thanks." Emma threw on her jacket and headed out the door. She hoped that Regina initiating a conversation was a good sign, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be.

* * *

"I brought coffee," Emma said, with a hopeful smile as Regina opened the front door.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Is that some sort of bribe? Or a half-assed apology?"

"Uh, neither?" Emma shrugged, as she held out a take-out cup to Regina. To her surprise, the other woman actually accepted it, as she stepped out of the way to let Emma into her home. "Where's Henry?"

"Upstairs, doing homework," Regina said. "I asked him to give us some privacy."

Emma nodded as she followed Regina down the hall to her study, where Regina motioned for her to take a seat on the couch. She hadn't been in this room since her first night in Storybrooke, and this time it felt just as awkward as it had back then.

"So…" Emma said, staring at the lid of her coffee cup, "we need to talk?"

"Yes," Regina sighed, taking a seat across from Emma. "I spoke to Gold today about… Zelena."

"You did? What did he say?"

Regina sighed again. "Not much, other than that this spell is not reversible."

"Well, that's kind of a relief," Emma said, leaning back in her seat and finally taking a sip of her coffee.

"How so?"

Emma snorted. "Well, she's been sleeping in my bed. I really don't want to wake up next to the Wicked Witch." Emma grinned, but Regina's face didn't change.

"Yes, well, this presents a different set of things to be considered now, doesn't it? For example, what we are going to do with her now."

"We? Since when is there a 'we'? If I recall, you didn't want anything to do with her."

"I didn't, and I still don't. But this affects Henry and it affects Storybrooke and therefore it is my concern as well."

"Okay, well, just so you know… I'm not taking her to Boston. I'm not putting her in foster care. If you try to force me, I will fight you on this tooth and nail, and I think by now you know I don't back down."

"Yes, I do know that, but _you_ should know, that I will fight to have her removed from your home, unless-"

"No," Emma said, placing her coffee on the end table and leaning forward for emphasis. "You're not sending her anywhere. She's not going into foster care. I know she was horrible as an adult, but she doesn't have to be, this time around you know. My life was hell growing up, and no child deserves that, not even Zelena."

"If you would let me finish, Miss Swan," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I was going to say, I will have her removed unless you can prove that you are serious about keeping her. I got a little ahead of myself in telling you to send her to Boston. Obviously we can't ship a magically de-aged child from Oz into the real world, but there are plenty of families who would love to adopt a child right here in Storybrooke."

"Plenty of families," Emma repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. "So, what you're saying is any random couple is better than me? Or do you just know I'm getting attached to her and this is how you want to hurt me back?"

"I would love nothing more at the moment than to hurt you back," Regina said, through gritted teeth, "but I worked hard to become a better person, so I'm not going to. Either way, I would never let a child get caught in the crosshairs, even if she is my insane sister."

"Don't call her that. You weren't much better, if you recall."

Regina clenched her jaw, and Emma could tell by the dark glare she was giving her now, that she had pushed Regina about as far as she could for the night. She knew she needed to back down before this escalated any further.

"Okay," Emma sighed, finally, picking up her coffee cup again. "You want me to prove I'm serious about keeping her. How? I mean, is actually _keeping_ her, like I have been doing, not good enough?"

"You've had her for two days. That's nothing more than a glorified slumber party. Emma, the spell is not reversible, and that means keeping her is long-term. I'm not entirely sure you've thought this through."

"How could I have thought it through? You just told me. But I'm not about to just give up on her. Everyone in my life gave up on me."

"This isn't about _you_ , Emma. You're talking about taking on the role of a mother to her, and that will require a lot of sacrifice on your part, and you need to be willing to put her before yourself," Regina explained.

"Yeah, I know. I am a mother, remember? I'm Henry's mother, too."

"That's hardly the same. Henry can camp out at the loft with you, because he has a bedroom of his own here. You're talking about making that Zelena's whole life. It's not feasible."

"So, then I'll get my own place," Emma replied, with a shrug. "Three bedrooms, so Henry can have a bedroom when he stays with me, too."

"That would be a good place to start," Regina agreed. "But there's more to it than that. You need to consider who will watch her when you're at work. You need to think about how you want to raise her, how you're going to teach her values, what you will do when she's sick or hurt."

Emma bit down on her bottom lip, and chewed it for a moment while she thought on that. She hadn't considered any of these things, but she wasn't about to tell Regina that. At that same time, she wasn't about to let Zelena suffer if she wasn't the best person to raise her, either.

"Give me a week," Emma said, finally. "A week to figure out if I can handle this or not. She won't be that attached to me by then, and if I'm in over my head, then someone in Storybrooke can adopt her."

Before Regina could answer, Emma's phone rang.

"Mom? What's up?" Emma asked.

"Zelena woke up and you were gone, and she got upset," Snow explained. Emma could clearly hear the child crying in the background now. "I told her you'd be home soon, but she wants to talk to you now."

"Okay, put her on."

Emma waited as Snow got Zelena on the phone. She smiled to herself as she overheard her mother explaining to the child what to do with it. Finally, she heard a faint, almost inaudible "Emma?" from the other end.

"Hey Little Greenie. I heard you missed me," Emma said, avoiding Regina's gaze as she spoke, but still aware of those chocolate eyes boring into her.

"Yeah, when are you coming home? I want you to come lay with me," Zelena said, her voice cracking from sobbing.

Emma wiped a tear from her own eye as she thought back to how it felt to be in Zelena's place, a little girl in a strange place, filled with strangers. "I'll come home right now, sweetheart," Emma promised. "Five minutes, okay?"

"Okay," Zelena whispered.

"She's quite clearly already attached," Regina commented, as Emma ended the call and stood up. "And so are you. You better decide quickly, Miss Swan."

* * *

Zelena greeted Emma the moment she stepped back into the loft by running at her full speed and wrapping herself around the blonde's legs. Emma sighed and leaned down to scoop her up.

"I thought you were gone forever," Zelena whispered as she nuzzled her face into Emma's neck.

"Why would you think that?" Emma asked, as she gave her mother a nod of acknowledgement, and then started up the steps to her bedroom. It seemed like an odd thing for the child to worry about. She didn't know much about Zelena's history, but she was sure she'd been adopted, and should have never had to worry about someone leaving and never returning.

"The bad man told me something," Zelena said, as Emma put her back down on the bed, and started tucking her back in.

"The bad man?" Emma repeated, as she laid down beside Zelena.

Zelena nodded. "The man who we saw the night you found me," the child elaborated.

"Gold? What did he tell you?"

"He said I'm bad, and no one is ever going to want me. He was trying to take me someplace, but I runned away," Zelena said, solemnly.

"You did good, kid," Emma said, as she tried to force down the anger that was building inside her. It could wait until she saw Gold again. "And Gold was wrong. _I_ want you. And I'm never going to leave you."

The words were out of her mouth before Emma even a second to process what she had just promised. All her life, she had longed to hear those very words, from _anyone_ , and it was like her brain had just switched into autopilot.

And it was too late to take it back.

Zelena smiled and snuggled in close to Emma, closing her eyes again. It wasn't long before the little one was back asleep, but Emma stayed up for hours after that, her mind racing with everything that was about to change in her life, and everything she would need to do to deal with that.

She supposed, however, she made enough money as Sheriff to afford a home and provide for Zelena, and Henry when she had him - not that Regina would let him do without. It might be a little tight, but she was sure it was doable. And if it meant she could provide for another child something she'd so desperately wanted - and needed - as a child herself, then the sacrifices she'd have to make were worth it.

She knew Regina would probably still disapprove, but at this point, she didn't really care. Zelena needed her, and she was starting to realize that maybe she needed Zelena, too.

* * *

 **If anyone is interested, you can find me on Tumblr as rowark-sq :) Until next week, my friends!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Miss me? I took a short writing hiatus, but now I'm back in action! :)**

 **What do you think of the new cover art for this story? Bonus points to anyone who knows why I picked** _ **that**_ **particular actress ;) if you know who she is and where that picture came from, then you know another TV show obsession of mine! And it's a show that served as an inspiration for an AU Swan Queen fic I have planned for sometime this fall/early winter ;)**

* * *

 ** **Chapter Five****

* * *

"Emma, what are you doing?"

Emma looked up from the newspaper sprawled out on the counter in front of her, to meet the wide, inquisitive eyes of Zelena. Emma grinned at the sight of her, her hair a messy mass of red, tangled from sleep, and her mint green pajamas - it was always green with this girl.

"I'm adulting," Emma replied with a small smirk.

"What's adulting?" Zelena asked, scrunching up her nose.

Emma chuckled as Zelena approached her, and Emma picked her up and set her on the counter so she could see the newspaper. "I'm doing responsible, adult things, like finding us a place to live."

"Don't we live here? I like this place," Zelena insisted.

"I like this place, too, but this is my parents' place. There's not enough room for all of us, so I'm going to find us a place for you and me and Henry, where everyone can have their own rooms. How does that sound?"

"My own room?" Zelena repeated, her face lighting up. "Can it be green?"

"Well, if that's what you want, then that's what it will be," Emma laughed. "Look, here's one: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fenced backyard… doesn't that sound kind of perfect?"

Zelena nodded. "Uh-huh! Let's get that one!"

"Okay, well, we have to look at it first and make sure it's decent. You want breakfast?"

Zelena nodded, red curls bouncing wildly, and Emma lifted her back off the counter and on to the floor, before heading around the counter to pour them both a bowl of Froot Loops.

"These were my favourite as a kid," Emma commented, as they sat at the table. "Well, they still are, actually."

Zelena smiled. "Then they are my favourite too! I wanna be just like you! Where'd your Mommy and Daddy go?"

"Work, kid," Emma grinned. "You slept late. David's doing a double today so I can watch you all day. We've got to figure out childcare arrangements for you. It's on today's agenda."

Zelena shrugged. "No one has to watch me in the daytime."

"Yes, they do. There are laws here, kid. Plus, I wouldn't want you alone all day anyway, even if there weren't."

"Oh," Zelena said, frowning at her bowl of cereal, as though _not_ being left alone was a foreign concept for her. Emma guessed maybe it wasn't. She did grow up to be the Wicked Witch of the West, after all, so Emma couldn't really imagine that she'd experienced top-notch parenting the first time around.

"And we have to get you registered for kindergarten, that's on our to-do list as well," Emma continued.

"What's a kinder garden? Flowers?"

"School," Emma grinned. "But easy school. It's mostly playing and naptime at your age, you'll love it."

"Then the park?" Zelena asked, hopefully.

Emma smiled. "We'll see."

* * *

It took the better part of the morning, into early afternoon, but Emma managed not only to get Zelena registered in kindergarten starting the following week, _and_ to get her into Ella's home daycare for times when Emma had to work when Zelena was out of school, but she also put down first and last month's rent on the cute little cottage style house with three bedrooms, two baths and a fenced backyard.

"Park now, Emma?" Zelena asked, impatiently, after they'd grabbed a late lunch.

Emma sighed. "We have to get some furniture for the house," she pointed out. "Can you be a good helper and come to the store with me to pick some out?"

Zelena groaned. Zelena hadn't even known what a store _was_ before Storybrooke, but she hadn't been all too fond of shopping for clothes yesterday. Emma guessed furniture shopping would be much, much worse.

"Tell you what, Greenie. I'll call my parents and see if they can meet us at the store and take you to the park, if you can promise to behave there until they come get you."

Zelena agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to the terms of Emma's deal. She would have preferred to go to the park with _Emma_ , but she supposed the park with anyone was better than furniture shopping, whatever that meant.

Once they reached the store, Zelena realized it was just as boring as she'd been expecting it to be. She followed Emma around the store, asking 'when are your parents coming' about every thirty seconds. Emma just laughed and shook her head, amazed at how children seemed to be the same - impatient and easily bored - no matter what realm they came from.

"What about this couch, Zelena?" Emma said, pointing out a soft gray sectional. "Look, it reclines."

Zelena looked on with curiosity as Emma showed her a section of the couch reclining. She didn't quite understand what that meant, but Emma seemed to like it, so she nodded her approval anyway.

Emma grinned as she sat down on the couch. "It's nice, Little Greenie. Come try it out with me."

Zelena hopped onto the couch next to Emma. "It's bouncy!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down a few times on the cushion, before getting up on her feet and beginning to jump in earnest.

"Hey!" Emma cried, grabbing her mid-jump and pulling her back down to a sitting position. "It's a couch not a trampoline." Emma grinned again when Zelena looked utterly confused at the word 'trampoline'. "We don't jump. We sit. Sometimes we can sleep on it, but that's it. Got it?"

"Got it," Zelena sighed. Whatever a trampoline was, she guessed it was probably much more fun than a couch. Before she had time to lament any further, she spotted Snow and David making their way across the store. Snow had Neal in a baby carrier.

"Park, now?" Zelena ask, hopefully, looking back and forth between Emma and her parents.

"Yes, Zelena, we came to rescue you from boring shopping," Snow chided, as the girl hopped up to join her. "I like this couch."

"Me too," Emma agreed. "I think we'll get this one."

"So, what's your plan for the rest of the day? When do you want her back?" Snow asked.

"Well, I asked Regina to meet me at the diner at four, to discuss you-know-who's permanency here," Emma said, standing again. "Maybe bring her to the diner a little after that, and we'll trade off."

"You know you don't need Regina's permission, right?" Snow reminded her, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, but… I don't, but I kind of do. It's not a black and white issue, you know? It's complicated. And I'd just feel better if I keep Regina in the loop, so she doesn't feel like I'm doing all of this behind her back," Emma explained.

"Okay," Snow sighed, "we will see you in a few hours then."

* * *

Two hours later, Emma was waiting at the diner, feeling exhausted, and yet satisfied with her day of adulting, as she liked to call it. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd gotten a place of her own, or purchased furniture, but it was the first time she was doing it with children in mind.

A few short days ago, she was just living upstairs in her parents' loft, and today, she was planning a life with her son - even if he was only there half the time - and a little girl she now intended to raise.

If only she could figure out a way to make things right with Regina again, then everything would fall into place, she was sure.

Unfortunately for her, Regina was the piece of the puzzle that rarely seemed to want to fall into place.

"Miss Swan," Regina greeted, as she walked up to Emma. "You wanted to speak with me?"

Emma had decided against getting a booth, and had opted to stand near the counter instead. She was suddenly regretting this decision, as it now felt awkward to be just standing there, but she she supposed Regina probably wasn't in the mood to sit down for small talk anyway.

"You told me last night to decide quickly, and I wanted to let you know I decided. I'm keeping her," Emma informed Regina.

Regina raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Well, that's hardly a decision since you were adamant about keeping her yesterday, as well. Need I remind you-"

"I got a place," Emma said, cutting Regina off mid-sentence. "Three bedrooms, so Henry has his own room. I registered her in kindergarten, and arranged childcare for when I'm at work. I get the house the end of this month, and I've already purchased furniture. I'm serious about this, Regina. That kid needs me, and I'm not going to let her down."

"I must say, I'm impressed Miss Swan," Regina replied, taking Emma by surprise.

"Uh, thanks," Emma stammered. She hadn't expected this. She had planned for much more of a battle. "I, uh, I wanted to make sure you were okay with everything."

"I'm not okay with any of this," Regina retorted, "but, she has to stay in Storybrooke and if you want to keep her this badly, I'm not going to try to stop you anymore, not that you ever listen to me anyway."

Emma shifted nervously, trying to assess if Regina was angry or not. She started to broach the subject of adoption papers and making the whole thing legal, but she was cut short before she could even begin, by a tiny force of nature propelling itself at her legs. On instinct, she grabbed Regina's arm for balance to keep from being knocked over by the tiny redhead who had just launched herself at her, full speed.

Regina pursed her lips as Emma realized what she was doing and let go of her arm, turning to greet the little ball of energy at her feet. "Hi, Little Greenie," Emma grinned, scooping the girl up. Zelena had leaves in her hair and dirt all over her clothes, but she was grinning from ear to ear. She glanced to the door, where her parents had just entered as well, and looked back at Zelena. "Looks like you had fun?"

"Uh-huh! David pushed me on the swings and then there were some other kids there and we played tag and I falled down but I wasn't hurt. Sorry I got dirty!"

"That's alright. What's the point of being a kid if you don't get a little dirty?" Emma laughed, as she turned slightly, and noticed, to her surprise, that Regina had made no attempt to flee yet. In fact, she seemed to be quite focused on taking in the sight of Zelena.

Emma decided maybe it was time to take a chance and actually _introduce_ the two of them, since Regina seemed intent on putting her two cents in on everything Emma did with her sister, without having any sort of interaction with the girl.

"Zelena," Emma said, turning the little girl so she could see Regina. "I want you to meet Regina. Remember when I was talking before, about how Henry has two moms? Regina is his other mom."

Zelena shot Regina a big, toothy smile. "Hi, Regina!" She greeted, as though Regina were just any other person in Storybrooke. Emma guessed, at this point, to Zelena, that really was all Regina was.

"Hello, Zelena," Regina said, with a tight, forced smile. Emma could tell she was uncomfortable, but she also knew this meeting had to happen _sometime._ After all, Zelena was staying in Storybrooke, and Henry would be with them part time, there was no way Regina was going to be able to avoid crossing her path forever.

"Did Emma tell you me and her are getting a house? And there's a room for Henry to come sleep over too! And you can come, too, but there's no room for you. Maybe you can sleep on the couch, because Emma says we're getting a nice couch, but it's not for jumping on only sitting," Zelena rattled off, not even stopping to take a breath between sentences.

"I see," Regina said, slightly curtly, but not enough so that the child picked up on it. "I appreciate the offer, but I have my own home and my own bed, so I will sleep there."

Zelena simply offered a shrug in reply, before Emma set her back on her feet, deciding that was enough of an awkward meeting for all three of them. "Honey, why don't you go back with Snow and David?" Emma suggested. "Maybe if you ask nicely, they'll get you a hot chocolate."

Zelena grinned again as she headed back to where the Charmings had claimed a table, near the front of the diner, and Snow was busy feeding Neal.

"She doesn't know I'm her sister?" Regina asked, sounding almost offended, once Zelena was out of earshot again.

Emma shrugged. "No."

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"Why would I? What's the point when you don't want to _be_ her sister?" Emma questioned, confused as to why it was bothering Regina so much. "Regina, I'm not going to try to force her on you, I think I've made that clear. You're just another stranger to her, and if you don't want to be in her life, then it's better that way. For everyone."

"You're right," Regina finally nodded, in concession. "And I should go. Go be with your… family."

Emma nodded, with a small smile, and headed over to join her parents and Zelena. Regina stared after her for a moment, before heading outside. She didn't know why it was suddenly bothering her, but referring to her own sister as Emma's family felt… wrong. She chalked her new emotions up to the effect the little girl's big grin had had on her. The child was certainly magnetic - it was no wonder Emma was so taken with her - but that's all it was.

After all, she was still the same person who had tried to destroy Regina's life, whether she remembered it now, or not. And certainly no one could blame Regina for wanting nothing to do with her.

So why was it bothering her that Emma wasn't trying harder to push Zelena on her? This was what she wanted after all.

Wasn't it?

* * *

 **In the next chapter: How does Regina** _ **really**_ **feel about Little Zelena? Will her natural magnetism win over her big-little sister? Tune in next week to find out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"Why does it have to be you?" Regina demanded, as she barged unannounced into Emma's office at the Sheriff's station. This was the first day Emma had been back to work since acquiring her Little Greenie, and she was buried in a mountain of paperwork and _so_ not in the mood for Regina at the moment.

But she forced a smile anyway, as she wondered what, exactly, had the Mayor in a tizzy this time.

"Why does _what_ have to be me?" Emma asked, closing the file she had open in front of her and pushing her chair back slightly from her desk, to give Regina her full attention.

"Zelena. Why does it have to be you? I understand you wanting her to have a second chance, but why does it have to be with _you_? She could be happy with any family in Storybrooke."

"Why is it bothering you so much? It's not like I'm forcing you to be around her, Regina. You barely speak to me anymore anyway, it's not like I'm flaunting her in your face," Emma retorted.

"But she's around my son," Regina pointed out.

" _Our_ son," Emma corrected. "And that affects Henry, not you."

Regina pursed her lips and looked away, and for a moment Emma wasn't sure if she was about to fireball her, or break down and cry right on the spot. She was _really_ hoping it was neither, since she wasn't sure how she was going to deal with either situation.

"Why does it bother you so much that it's me?" Emma asked, and let out a heavy sigh as Regina continued to look away and not offer any sort of answer.

Emma worried her bottom lip for a moment, before finally pushing her chair back fully from the desk and standing, leaning against the credenza behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. Baring her soul was never something that came naturally to her, and she felt the need to protect herself physically, if she was about to expose a little bit of herself, emotionally.

"Fine," Emma said, instantly drawing Regina's eyes and attention back to her. "You wanna know? Then fine… it's not just about Zelena's second chance. I see a second chance for myself in her, as well."

"How so?"

Emma smirked and shook her head. Of course Regina would make her put it all out into words, despite how uncomfortable it was. "Because I didn't get to raise Henry, okay? I know everyone thinks I should be okay with that, because it was my choice to give him up in the first place, but it's not really a choice when it's the only option available."

"It was hardly your only option," Regina scoffed, but still averted her eyes, and Emma wondered if the older woman actually saw the truth in her words, but felt the need to be stubborn about it, anyway.

Either way, she wasn't taking any chances. She'd started down this path, she needed to commit now.

"I was seventeen," Emma reminded her. "And in prison. I still had three months left on my sentence, and when I got out, I was living in my car. Tell me, Regina, how exactly was keeping Henry ever an option? He would have gone into emergency foster care the moment he was born, and I never would have gotten him back, not as a homeless teenager with a criminal record. I didn't want him to have my life, and because of that, I missed out on his childhood. I never knew how much it truly affected me until Zelena came along. Here's this little girl who adores me and needs me and… I've never really experienced that. Henry was so independant by the time I even met him, and now he's almost grown up."

Regina sighed and looked back at Emma. She didn't need Emma's superpower to know the blonde was telling the truth right now.

"Okay," Regina said, finally. "But you do understand why this gets to me, right?"

"Yes, Regina. I do. But you need to understand this has nothing to do with you," Emma said, finally dropping her hands to her sides.

"How can you say that? She's my sister!"

"Only by blood," Emma said with a shrug. "I know you don't look at her that way, and she doesn't even know. It never has to be an issue. She never has to be anything more than the little lost girl I took in."

Regina nodded. "Fine," she agreed, before turning to leave Emma's office.

But she was no longer so sure that it _was_ fine. Wicked Witch or not, Zelena was the only blood relation Regina had left in this world, and she suddenly wasn't so sure she could just pretend that wasn't true. It had almost been easier when she'd expected Emma to push Zelena on her. It would have been so easy to stay angry and push back, but Regina was suddenly realizing that merely existing on the outside of this newly forming family unit was far more painful than being forced into a relationship with the sister who ruined her life would be.

She supposed it was time to stop looking at Zelena like that, anyway. For all intents and purposes, _that_ woman was gone forever. With Emma's intervention, this little girl would never grow up to be the Wicked Witch.

Perhaps she really did deserve a second chance, after all.

* * *

Regina was distracted from work for the rest of the day. She tried to focus on the trivial town affairs, but her mind kept drifting to Zelena's little face, lit up with a big smile when she had run up to Emma in the diner, and to the way Emma's face had lit up as well.

It wasn't fair that Emma and Zelena both got to be happy, and she had to lose, _again._ She supposed she should be used to this by now, but it never got any easier, and it never hurt any less. What did Zelena do to deserve a second chance?

Regina hated herself for thinking like that. In reality, she and Zelena had both been destroyed by the one person who was supposed to protect them: their mother. But that woman, that Zelena, was gone, and with Emma raising her, she probably would never return, even when Zelena was grown up again.

Regina sighed, tapping her pen mindlessly on the paper she'd been staring at for nearly an hour. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten this little work done in the course of a day, but she just couldn't force herself to focus.

That evening was just more of the same, after she went home. Henry was spending the night at the loft, and the house was empty. Normally, that didn't bother Regina all that much, even if she preferred Henry home, she didn't mind being alone, either. But on nights like tonight, when she was lost in her thoughts, the silence was agony.

Her mind drifted back and forth between Zelena and Marian. Too people who were destroying her life, without really doing _anything_. And both because of Emma.

But, Regina decided it wasn't really fair to blame Emma, either. It wasn't her fault if all she seemed to know how to do was the right damn thing all the time. More often than not, the 'right' thing resulted in more pain for Regina.

Regina's mind drifted back to Greg Mendell. She hadn't thought about him in some time, but there was something he'd once told her that always stuck with her: villains don't get happy endings.

She'd always believed that to be true, and even if she doubted it for a moment, fate had a way of hammering the point home, time and time again. But then, here was Zelena, getting her happy ending and she didn't even have to work for it. It just… came to her. She didn't earn it, she didn't redeem herself, she just got lucky.

Regina thought back to the night that Emma had first found Zelena, and how she had mentioned that she thought maybe Regina would want to know her sister. In that moment, she'd known there was no way in hell she'd ever want to even see the little girl again, but now… now she was wondering if things had changed. Emma, Zelena, Henry, hell even the Charmings, they were all happy. And together. And Regina was alone, on the outside, _again_ , as always.

But maybe she didn't have to be?

It suddenly occurred to Regina what it was that was _really_ bothering her about Emma taking in Zelena. Zelena was _her_ family, and whether or not she wanted her, Emma didn't have a right to her. What the hell did Emma need a second chance for, anyway? She already had everything. It was Regina who was heartbroken, and alone.

Regina made up her mind in a moment, she needed to go over and give Emma a piece of her mind.

It was just after eight when Regina arrived at the Charmings' loft. As always, she pushed the door open without knocking. Leave it to Snow to never lock her door.

"Regina," Snow gasped, clearly surprised by the intrusion.

"Where's Emma?" Regina asked, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on David and Henry playing video games with headsets on, and Regina guessed her son hadn't heard her come in, but there was no sign of Emma or Zelena.

"She's upstairs, putting Zelena down," Snow said, looking at Regina in confusion. "What do you need?"

"I need to see my sister." The words slipped out of Regina's mouth before she could even process what she was saying. That wasn't why she'd decided to come here, but the moment the words left her mouth, something clicked in her brain. She really, really did need to see her sister.

Before Snow could get another word in, Regina turned and headed up the stairs to Emma's room, where she assumed Emma would be with Zelena. She found the blonde laying beside Zelena in bed, reading her _Green Eggs and Ham_ out loud, despite the fact that Zelena very much appeared to be sleeping. Regina couldn't help but smirk at the choice in books.

"Regina?" Emma said, in a surprised whisper when she noticed Regina standing there. "What are you doing?"

"I… I just… I need," Regina stammered, inwardly kicking herself for falling over her words. This wasn't like her, and she certainly didn't want to falter in front of Emma, of all people.

Regina sighed and stepped closer to the bed, and hesitated before finally taking a seat on the other side of the sleeping little girl, as Emma sat up and set the book aside.

"She's my sister," Regina whispered, as she reached out a hand to tentatively stroke the soft red curls on Zelena's little head.

"I know," Emma agreed, taking note of the single tear that was escaping Regina's eye, but choosing not to comment. "But whether or not you want a relationship with her, that's entirely up to you, Regina."

"I don't know what I want," Regina admitted. "This is harder than you could ever imagine, Emma. I lost everything because of her."

"Not because of _her_ ," Emma clarified. " _This_ little girl has never done anything to you. The Zelena who destroyed your life is gone, Regina, and she's not coming back."

Regina nodded at Emma's words, as she continued to look at her sister, running her fingers through her hair. "If I wanted to see her, you would let me?"

"How can you even wonder that, Regina? Of course I would let you," Emma replied, shaking her head. "But, you've got to understand I have to put her first. If you want to be in her life, then by all means, you can be in her life, but she's not going to know who you are until I'm sure you're not going to change your mind and decide it's too much to handle."

Regina nodded again. "That's fair."

"Okay," Emma said, smiling. "You let me know when you're ready, and we'll go from there. No pressure, Regina."

"Alright. Thank you, Emma."

With one final look at her redheaded sister, Regina retreated down the stairs to say goodnight to Henry, before going home to really think about what she'd just agreed to.

An actual relationship with her actual blood sister. Regina wasn't sure when she'd ever be ready for this.

* * *

 **Tell me I'm not the only one who got all the Zelena feels from the season 5 premiere? Little Greenie (or Big Greenie lol) really does deserve her happy ending, doesn't she? Zelena's had a shit life because of Cora, and she's done some shitty things as a result, but I mean, how can you not love her?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

In the two weeks since Regina's unexpected visit to the loft, Emma hadn't heard from her again, at least not insofar as it pertained to Zelena. The Mayor only contacted her Sheriff in regards to work matters, or Henry, and Emma decided not to press the issue. She knew it hadn't been easy for Regina to even admit that she was conflicted, and it certainly wasn't going to be easy for her to make a decision on the matter, either.

And Emma didn't really have time to think on it, either way. Most of the two weeks were spent getting Zelena used to a routine, and getting their new place ready to move in. At the end of the two weeks, the house was move-in ready, and even though it wasn't her day, Regina agreed to let Henry stay over for the little family's first night in their new house together.

It was Henry's idea to throw a housewarming party.

They had planned it for the weekend after they'd moved in, and though the day was fast approaching, Emma had yet to hear an RVSP back from Regina. Henry had asked her as well, and she'd simply told him she'd 'think about it', which Henry informed Emma _always_ meant no.

And Emma didn't push it. The prospect of Regina not coming bothered Henry, but Emma insisted that it had nothing to do with any of them, and everything to do with Regina needing to work through her own emotions about everything, and she just needed space. To her surprise, Henry agreed and didn't push the issue either.

So naturally, when the doorbell rang on Saturday night, Emma and Henry exchanged confused glances, because as far as they could tell, everyone on the guest list was already in attendance, mingling around the spread of appetizers and socializing in the kitchen.

"I'll get it!" Zelena cried, as she took off running to the door. So far, everyone who had shown up had offered the little one a friendly greeting, and some had even brought small gifts, so answering the door soon became Zelena's favourite thing.

Emma followed the redhead as she bolted down the hallway and pulled the door open, and stared in complete surprise to see Regina standing there, looking more nervous than Emma had _ever_ seen her. Emma watched as Zelena stepped back and ushered Regina into the house, and for a moment Emma wasn't sure if Regina was going to come in, or bolt.

She wasn't sure Regina even knew what she was going to do, at that moment.

"Come inside!" Zelena insisted, grabbing Regina's hand and practically dragging her into the house. "We have lots of food! It's a party!"

Emma offered an encouraging smile as Regina's eyes locked with hers, before she allowed herself to be dragged through the hallway by her pint sized sister. Emma shook her head and followed the pair back into the kitchen, stepping up to Regina so she wouldn't feel completely vulnerable in the moment.

"Sorry I didn't RVSP, I just didn't know…" Regina let her voice trail off as she looked over at Zelena, who was now darting through the group of people towards the food again.

"It's okay," Emma nodded, and noted that Regina breathed a sigh of relief at not having to explain herself further.

"Robin and Marian aren't here," Regina acknowledged, her eyes scanning the room.

"I didn't invite them," Emma replied, with a shrug. "I wasn't sure if you would come, but I wanted you here over them, so…"

"You wanted me here?"

"Well, I did invite you," Emma laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Right. But I thought that was…"

"You thought that was what? Pity? You thought I just didn't want you to feel left out? I thought maybe we were at a better place than that, even with all things considered."

Regina turned and studied the sincerity on Emma's face. She knew the blonde wanted them to be friends, and had for quite some time, but she'd assumed that her distant behaviour lately would have put an end to that. That wasn't her intention, but she'd assumed it would be a side effect.

She'd forgotten how persistent the Sheriff could be.

"Regina, you missed the tour," Zelena informed her, as she stepped back over to Emma and Regina, holding her hand out to the Mayor. "But I can give it to you now."

"You don't have to," Emma whispered, giving Regina a knowing glance, but Regina just shook her head.

"I would be honoured," she smiled down at the little redhead, accepting her hand, even if she looked terrified.

Zelena dragged her down the hallway and up the stairs, rambling on and on about everything in the house. Regina looked around. It was actually nicer, and a bit bigger, than she'd expected, and she was impressed. Henry's room was only about half the size of his room at the mansion, but decorating very similarly, and very much to his taste.

Zelena dragged her into her own bedroom, where the walls were painted mint green and showed her around, pointing out all her toys and books proudly.

"Emma got me all these things," Zelena declared. "I didn't used to have nice things, where I used to live. I didn't even have a nice bed like this."

"Emma takes good care of you," Regina nodded, glancing at the painted wooden letter above Zelena's bed. "Leenie Greenie?"

Zelena giggled. "Uh huh. Leenie like Ze-LEE-na. And Greenie 'cause I like green."

"I can tell," Regina nodded.

"Emma didn't think you were going to come tonight," Zelena informed her. "I heard her and Henry talking when I was supposta be sleeping. Emma said it was too emotional for you. Are you sad that Henry comes here sometimes? Do you miss him?"

Regina swallowed hard. "Yes, I miss Henry when he comes here," she agreed, even though she knew full well that was _not_ what Emma was referring to.

"Emma misses him when he's gone, too, but she said that having me here makes her feel better. Maybe you just need a little girl, too."

"Maybe," Regina nodded, sighing with relief when she spotted Emma entering the room.

"Leenie, you're going to make the Mayor miss the whole party," Emma said. She'd figured when the two had never come back to the kitchen, Regina might be in dire need of rescue from an uncomfortable situation, this being the first time she was ever alone with little Zelena.

"There's cake!" Zelena declared, taking Regina's hand again. "Cake makes everyone happy."

To Emma's surprise, Regina actually smiled a genuine smile - the first she'd seen from her in several weeks - as she followed Zelena back out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Emma followed behind quietly as Zelena rattled on more and more about the house, and life in general. Regina couldn't have gotten a word in if she tried, but somehow, she seemed okay with that.

"I bet you never thought you'd see that," Snow commented, stepping up beside Emma and nodding toward where Zelena and Regina were sitting side by side at the table, Zelena digging into her cake as Regina watched her, amusement written all over her face at the sheer amount of green icing smeared over Zelena's lips.

Emma smiled. "Well, not this quickly, that's for sure, but Zelena kind of has a natural magnetism to her, you know? She's hard to resist. And she's got Regina in her crosshairs at the moment, apparently. I think she overheard Henry and I talking about her, and has made it her personal mission that Regina can't feel sad while she's here."

"Do you think she feels that familial connection, on some subconscious level?" Snow wondered, as she continued to watch just how _natural_ the two of them seemed together.

Emma shrugged. "No idea. Either way, she's not going to know until I know for sure Regina is planning on actually _being_ a sister to her. I'm not going to let Zelena get her little heart broken if Regina turns around and decides this is all too much. It's not fair to her."

When the party started to dwindle down, Emma finally got a moment alone with Regina, when Zelena had been distracted by playing with baby Neal.

"So, how was that?" Emma asked, shooting Regina a sympathetic look.

"It was… not terrible," Regina admitted, causing Emma to laugh out loud.

"Not terrible. Well, that's a start, I guess."

"I honestly thought I might turn around and run the moment she opened the door this evening, but I'm actually glad I didn't. She really is a sweet little girl. And she's already starting to take after you, you know."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Regina shrugged. "A mini-Emma is better than the Wicked Witch, round two, I supposed."

"Well, Regina, that might just be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Emma grinned.

"It's not…" Regina trailed off, as she failed to immediately think of an example of something else she'd said that was nicer than that. "Well, you're going a good job, with her, regardless. Better than I'd expected, so I suppose I owe you an apology for thinking you couldn't handle this. You've proved me wrong."

"Who _are_ you?" Emma asked, her eyes widening in mock shock.

"Stop it, Miss Swan. If you tease me when I'm being nice to you, I can guarantee it won't happen again," Regina said, sounding almost more hurt than annoyed.

"Sorry," Emma said, sincerely. "It's just an awkward situation all around, you know? I'm not trying to tease you."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're not?"

"No. Well, kind of, but I'll stop. And seriously, Regina, thank you for coming tonight. It really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome. And thank _you_ for choosing me over Robin and Marian. _That_ means a lot to me."

"Of course I would pick you over them," Emma said, shaking her head at the absurd notion that there was ever anything even remotely close to a competition there. "I mean, I actually care if you're in my life."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Regina said, with a small teasing smile.

"Hardly."

"Listen, Emma… I know things have been a bit… strained, ever since I showed up at the loft that night, and I'm sorry. I just… needed to clear my head about all of this. But I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think I want to get to know her."

Emma nodded, smiling. "I knew you would, eventually."

"Right. Well, I was thinking maybe you would let me have a sort of girls' day with her? Some day soon?"

"Oh, uh…" Emma stammered. "I had really been thinking more along the lines of maybe you could come and do things with me, Henry and Zelena first, as a group, you know? Instead of just jumping right into the one-on-one thing?"

Regina pursed her lips and stiffened, before breathing a small sigh. "I see. You don't think I'm serious about this?"

"No, it's not that-"

"Or, what? You don't trust me alone with her?"

"Holy hell, Regina, calm down. It's none of that. I just… it's not an easy situation, we both know that. I just don't want you to get… overwhelmed."

"I see. But it was fine when you came to Storybrooke and got to be alone with Henry whenever you wanted? But when I want to spend time with my _sister_ I have to jump through hoops for you?"

"Regina! This is a different situation and you know it. You're already overreacting and all we're doing is discussing it, so don't tell me you're ready for this, because you're not."

Regina opened her mouth to speak again, but seemed to think better of it, as she paused and closed her eyes. Emma wondered if she was counting to ten to calm herself down.

If she was, it worked.

"Fine. What do you propose, then?"

"Zelena wants to go to the park tomorrow," Emma suggested. "We can pack a picnic and spend the day together, all four of us."

Regina nodded slowly. "Alright."

"Listen, Regina, it's not just about you, you know? Zelena's only little, and the only people I've left her with since I got her are my parents. You've got to be comfortable with her, but she's got to be comfortable with you, too."

"Yes. You're right. I'm sorry. Tomorrow at the park, all four of us," Regina nodded. "I can do that."

"Good," Emma said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

* * *

"Did you have fun tonight, baby?" Emma asked, as she tucked Zelena into her bed.

Zelena grinned and nodded. "When can we see Regina again?" she asked, eagerly.

"You liked her, did you? Well, lucky for you, she's going to come to the park with us tomorrow," Emma informed her.

"You and Henry said she'd be sad tonight, but she didn't look sad to me."

"No, she didn't. I think she was happy to see you."

"Why?"

Emma just smiled. "Because you have a knack for making people happy. It's a good skill to have, Leenie Greenie. Please don't ever change."

"I won't," Zelena nodded, smiling as she closed her tired little eyes. "I promise."

* * *

 **This season of OUAT is giving me all the Wicked Queen BroTP feels… (Spoiler alert, if you haven't seen 5x03, stop reading now)... when Regina promised Zelena that her baby will be loved, but the opposite was true for Zelena herself, I definitely took that as foreshadowing that Zelena is going to work her way into Regina's good graces.**

 **I mean, Regina telling Zelena that she won't love her is a little redundant, isn't it? Unless she will grow to love her down the line… which I hope is true. I want to see the sisters united and Zelena redeemed,** _ **especially**_ **if it means we get to keep Bex on the show, long term!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Regina shifted nervously from one foot to the other, standing under the best tree she could find. She was way too early, and she knew it, but she'd laid out a red and black plaid blanket and set out the picnic basket of food she'd promised Emma she'd bring, and now she was standing, eyes constantly scanning the road to spot the yellow Bug approaching.

After she'd left Emma's the night before, she'd spent the rest of the evening imagining how different her life might have been if Cora had never abandoned Zelena, and she'd actually gotten to grow up with a sister in her life. Even though she knew this would never be the same, with her older sister this much younger than her, she was anxious for the opportunity to experience having a sister at all, and kicking herself for rejecting the idea that very first night when Emma had shown up at her house with Zelena.

Regina guessed that if she'd been more open to the idea from the start, she wouldn't have to be proving herself or her intent to Emma at this point, but she supposed it was better late than never. And at least Emma seemed to be more than willing to facilitate this sisterly bonding - more willing than Regina thought she might be, if the situation was reversed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina caught sight of the Bug approaching, and bit her lip nervously, hoping Emma wasn't going to tease her for being so early when she'd normally prefer to be fashionably late. To her surprise, however, Emma actually looked _relieved_ to see her standing there, and it only took a moment to guess why, when Zelena climbed out of the backseat wearing a scowl, and stomped over to the picnic blanket.

"Well, hello to you, too," Regina said, raising an eyebrow as Zelena sat down in a huff, her arms folded and her back to Emma and Regina.

"Oh, she's not talking to anyone," Emma said, shaking her head. "She's been in rare form since she woke up this morning. I almost considered cancelling, but I know you went to a lot of trouble to put this picnic together. I thought maybe getting to the park would make her happy. Apparently not."

"Where's Henry?" Regina asked, noting her son's absence.

"He went over to Nick's. Apparently they have a homework project, or something," Emma replied with a shrug. Truthfully, she suspected this sudden forgotten 'project' had much more to do with him not being there to take Regina's focus away from getting to know Zelena, as Henry was as anxious as Emma to see this all work out. Perhaps even _more_ anxious, as he'd been feeling like something of a traitor for spending time with Zelena when his mother was still angry about the whole situation.

"I see," Regina said, nodding. "Well, I brought lots of food for anyone who feels like being social and actually talking to me," Regina said, looking pointedly at the back of Zelena's head.

Zelena didn't respond.

"See?" Emma said, shaking her head before turning to Zelena. "Leenie, you're being rude and I don't appreciate it."

" _You're_ being rude!" Zelena shot back, without turning to look at her.

"How am _I_ being rude? I brought you to the park and-"

"Emma," Regina said, softly, putting a hand on Emma's forearm to stop her. "That's not going to work. She's five. There's no reasoning with five-year-olds."

Emma threw her hands up, as if in defeat. "What am I supposed to do, then? I've never had to deal with a five-year-old d-r-a-m-a q-u-e-e-n before."

Regina smirked. "Well, how would…" she started, and stopped herself from absent-mindedly finishing with 'your parents have dealt with you?', as she remembered Emma's parents never knew her at five, and she wasn't really sure she wanted to know how Emma's foster parents at that age would have dealt with her.

"How would what?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. Come on," Regina said, sitting down on the blanket and motioning for Emma to do the same. "Let's have our picnic. Zelena can join us whenever she so chooses."

Emma sat down tentatively, shooting glances at Zelena every so often as she and Regina began unwrapping items from the picnic basket. She wasn't sure ignoring her was the best course of action, but Regina seemed to be completely unfazed by the little girl's audible huffs every few seconds.

To Emma's surprise, however, after about two minutes of being ignored, Zelena turned and crawled over to her, claiming a spot right next to Emma. She was still wearing a pout, but she looked up at Emma with sad eyes. "Can I have a sandwich?"

"Of course you can," Regina cut in, handing over the sandwich she'd made special for her sister, with the crust cut off, since Emma had informed her that was the only way she would eat it.

"Are you done being mad at me?" Emma asked, as Zelena began to pick at her sandwich. Zelena just shrugged, earning herself an overly dramatic eyeroll from Emma.

Regina shot Emma a disapproving look. "Which one of you is five, again?"

In spite of her determination to stay mad, Zelena couldn't help but giggle, and look at Emma's reaction from the corner of her eye. Emma shot Regina a glare, before smiling and shaking her head. It wasn't the first time Regina had accused her of acting like a child, and she doubted it would be the last.

The picnic was mostly an awkward silence, since Zelena was not talking their ears off as she normally would. She just sat, picking at her sandwich, which Regina gathered from Emma's concerned look was not normal for the child.

"Is something wrong with your sandwich, Zelena? Did I not make it right?" Regina asked. Zelena just shrugged again, her pout returning. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine!" Zelena snapped, glaring at Regina. "I just want to play on the swings!"

Emma stared, bewildered, as Zelena jumped up and ran over to the swingset, before turning to Regina. "I have _never_ seen her act like this before. Ever."

"She's getting sick," Regina observed.

"What? How can you tell?"

Regina shrugged. "I'm a mother."

"Yeah, so am I," Emma said back, defensively.

"I didn't mean it like that, Emma. I meant, I have experience. She's moody, she's not eating, and her cheeks are red."

"So I should have cancelled and kept her home," Emma sighed.

"Well, then you would have just been sitting at home with a moody child. I'm sure it's nothing serious. Some time at the park won't kill her."

"True. Plus I would have been missing out on this delicious food," Emma grinned.

Regina was about to come back with a witty retort, when she was distracted by her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and narrowed her eyes in confusion at the screen.

"What?" Emma asked.

"A text from Robin. What the hell does he want? I haven't seen or heard from him in weeks," Regina said, as she opened the text.

Emma watched as Regina's face fell, and wondered what Robin could _possibly_ have texted her to cause this reaction. What could possibly be worse than him choosing to go back to his wife?

"What? Regina, what is it?"

Regina opened her mouth, and no sound came out. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before speaking. "It's.. Marian. She's _pregnant._ "

"What?" Emma gasped. "Why the fuck would he text you that?"

Regina held up her phone and read aloud. "Regina, I want to be the one to tell you this, so you don't find out from rumours around town. Marian and I are expecting another child."

"Shit. Regina, I'm so sorry." Emma swallowed hard as a new wave of guilt washed over her. In the past few weeks, Regina has seemed to be in a better place about the whole Robin and Marian thing, but now Emma feared this news might but herself and Regina right back to where they were when Emma brought Marian back in the first place, and she wasn't ready for that.

To Emma's surprise, however, Regina just shrugged. "It is what it is."

"You don't really believe that."

"I don't have any other choice, Emma. Marian's here and she's not going anywhere, clearly. The last time I lost my soul mate, I destroyed countless lives, including yours, by proxy. I can't go down that road again, so what other choice to I have than to accept it? Maybe I'm just not meant to have a happy ending. Lord knows I don't deserve one."

"That's not true. You can be happy, and it doesn't have to be with Robin. What the hell does pixie dust know anyway?"

"Well, when you put it like _that_ ," Regina smirked, shaking her head.

Emma looked up to see Zelena making her way back to the picnic blanket, looking white as a ghost. "Leenie, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel good," Zelena pouted, falling into Emma's lap and burying her face into Emma's neck.

"Regina, she's hot," Emma said, looking at Regina, panicked. Regina reached forward and coaxed Zelena's face away from Emma's neck with gentle hands, and placed her wrist on the little girl's forehead.

"She's got a fever. What doesn't feel good, Zelena?"

"My tummy hurts."

Regina nodded and looked back at Emma. "Take her home and put her to bed. Clear fluids, children's tylenol, and only dry toast or crackers if she gets hungry. She'll be fine."

Emma nodded, but continued to stare at Regina with terrified eyes.

"Emma. _You'll_ be fine. You can do this."

"Okay," Emma agreed, scooping Zelena up and carrying her back to the car. Regina watched as Emma got Zelena strapped in, and then got into the Bug and drove away with a small wave. This wasn't how she'd hoped this day would go for them, but she guessed she should just expect disappointment and disaster, at this point.

Regina sighed as she magicked away the remnants of the picnic, not feeling in the mood to actually pick everything up, before heading back to her own car to go home. She tried to tell herself that this day wasn't really a _disaster_ , as she didn't want to overreact as Emma had accused her of doing the night before, but she'd really been looking forward to maybe, _possibly_ , starting the bonding process with her sister.

She tried to remind herself that all was not lost, and they could try again, once Zelena was feeling better.

* * *

It was shortly after dinner time that Regina heard her phone again. It was another text, but thankfully, this one was from Henry. She was less thankful, however, once she opened it.

"Mom, pls tell me you're not busy. Mom & Zelena are both sick and I don't know what to do!"

Regina shook her head, wondering why Henry wouldn't just _call_ , as she called him.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, as soon as Henry answered.

"Zelena's been puking all afternoon, and now Mom's throwing up, too. I called grandma and her and grandpa are sick, too. I think it must have been something from the party last night."

"Are you sick?" Regina asked, as she grabbed her keys and her purse and made her way to the door, silently thanking the powers that be that she hadn't actually eaten anything at the party last night.

"No, but I didn't really eat anything at the party, since Grace and I went out for pizza earlier," Henry explained.

"You went out with Grace?"

"Mom! Seriously, now's not the time. Are you coming over?"

"I'm on my way."

* * *

When Regina arrived at Emma's, Henry let her in right away, and she found Emma, looking pale and even a little green, pacing the floor with a crying Zelena in her arms.

"She won't let her put her down," Henry commented. "And I tried to get her to sit with me but she only wants Emma. She freaks out if Emma even tries to sit down with her."

Regina nodded. "It's okay, Henry, I got this."

Regina crossed the room, as Emma looked up and gave her the most relieved smile Regina thought she'd ever seen from the blonde. It wasn't surprising, considering Emma looked like she'd been hit by a truck, and Regina could only guess that she was feeling just as bad.

"Why are you here?" Zelena asked, pouting up at Regina.

"Henry called in the cavalry. Why don't you come up with me for a little while, and let Emma get some rest?"

Zelena looked at Emma for a moment, and reluctantly nodded.

"Thank you," Emma mouthed at Regina, as she handed the little one off.

"Go to bed, Emma," Regina said, softly. Emma put up no argument, as she turned and headed up the stairs.

"My tummy still hurts," Zelena said, as Regina resumed Emma's previous pacing path, and started rubbing Zelena's back.

"I know, Sweetheart, but I bet you would feel much better if you laid down and got some sleep," Regina suggested.

Zelena began crying again at the very idea of laying down. "I don't want to sleep! I want my _Mommy_!" she cried.

Regina stopped short. She hadn't expected that. Momentarily, her mind went to Cora, but then she remembered that Zelena had had an adoptive mother in Oz - one who had died. Henry had said Zelena never talked about her adoptive parents, but Regina realised it had been foolish to think the little girl had forgotten about them completely.

"I know, Sweetie, but she's not here right now, so I'm going to take care of you."

"I don't want _you_! I want _Emma_!"

"I know, but Sweetie, Emma's sick too, and she needs some rest, just like you do."

As Zelena continued to cry, Regina thought back to how she'd told Emma not to try to reason with a five-year-old. She'd thought she knew better because she had more experience raising a child, but she was now realising that, in this situation, she was just as lost as Emma had been, earlier. With Henry, _she_ was always the one he wanted, so she'd never had issues comforting him when he was sick.

After a few more minutes, Emma reappeared at the top of the stairs. "Just bring her up here," Emma said, sounding defeated, knowing that Zelena was never going to calm down for Regina. Regina could tell Emma just wanted to lay down, and she felt a little bad that she'd come over here with the intention of fixing everything, and she really couldn't fix anything.

"Come on," Regina said to Zelena as she headed up the stairs. "You too," she continued, looking at Emma as she stepped past her and into the bedroom. She was not about to be defeated by a child with a stomach bug.

Emma looked at Regina quizzically, and followed her back into her bedroom, where Regina was holding onto Zelena with one arm, and pulling back the covers with the other.

"I said bed," Regina reiterated, "so get in."

Emma nodded and got back into bed, and Regina placed Zelena beside her, right in the center.

"But I don't-" Zelena began to protest, but Regina cut her off.

"Not optional. You both need to sleep, and that's what you're both going to do," Regina said, as she pulled the covers over them, and then climbed onto the bed herself, lying down on top of the comforter. "Now, I am going to lay right here, and you two are both going to sleep, got it?"

Emma smiled and nodded, her eyes already closed, and Regina could tell she was on board with this. Zelena, on the other hand, was not so keen on the idea of sleeping, but was essentially trapped between the two women now.

"I will lay here but I won't sleep," Zelena said, finally, looking up at Regina defiantly.

"Well, then you are going to be very bored," Regina said, with half a shrug.

"I won't be bored," Zelena countered, and Regina had to shake her head at the child's stubbornness. She guessed obstinacy must really be genetic, as far as she and her sister were concerned.

It wasn't long before Zelena's eyelids grew heavy, however, and soon she was sleeping right along side Emma. Both of them lay on their sides, facing Regina, and though they were both out cold now, Regina just laid there and continued to observe them. In spite of everything, Emma and Zelena both looked so peaceful and innocent in their sleep, and Regina couldn't help the little, intrusive thought in the back of her mind that said she could get used to this.

Regina shook her head, trying to push the thought away. It was crazy, she was sure. Emma had made herself a little family, and even though she let Regina spend time with them, it didn't mean that she ever intended to include her in that entire family unit. No, she was connected by Henry alone. Maybe, one day, Zelena could know the truth of their relation, and maybe she and Emma would become actual friends, but it was absurd to think they would ever be anything more than that.

Wasn't it?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

* * *

Regina studied Zelena's little face while she slept. She couldn't see any of herself in the little girl, but she guessed that shouldn't be so surprising, considering they had different fathers and Regina took after hers so much, appearance-wise. Zelena did resemble Cora a tad, which Regina felt was unfortunate, since Cora hadn't given her first born anything else in life.

Not for the first time, Regina imagined how different her life would have been, if not for Zelena. She supposed, if Zelena had never existed, her mother would have married Leopold, and Regina would never have existed, either. Once again, fate had lead her to the exact place she was now.

And Regina considered exactly the place she was in now: specifically, Emma's bed.

Regina's eyes moved away from her sister's visage, to land on Emma's. She still looked pale, much more so than normal, but her face looked relaxed and she seemed very serene in her sleep. It was a far cry from what she looked like, awake. In her sleep, Emma looked so untroubled, so carefree, so… beautiful.

Regina realised that Emma looked beautiful when she was awake, too, but she never looked truly happy. Well, that wasn't really true either, she thought, as Emma looked happy when she was with Henry, and more recently, she looked happy when she was with Zelena. But whenever the kids weren't around, there was an unmistakable sadness lurking behind Emma's smile, and Regina always recognized it, as it mirrored what she felt inside, all the time.

It wasn't long before Emma was stirring in her sleep again, and moments later she was awake, and rolling out of bed and darting to the bathroom faster than Regina could even react. Zelena didn't wake up, so Regina got up carefully and followed Emma into the en suite, where she was now retching over the toilet bowl.

Regina knelt down behind Emma and pulled her hair back, rubbing her hand gently up and down the center of Emma's back, as she would with Henry when he was sick as a child.

When she was done, Emma let herself fall back against Regina, her head lulling slightly back against Regina's shoulder, as Regina magicked a cool, damp cloth into her hand to wipe Emma's face.

"Thanks," Emma said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

"Come on, let's get you back into bed," Regina said, wrapping her arm around Emma's back to help her to her shaky feet.

"Okay, _Mo-om,_ " Emma said, smirking at Regina despite how terrible she felt.

"Sorry, I don't mean to mother you, I just-"

"It's fine," Emma insisted. "I kinda like it. But if you tell anyone I said that, I'm gonna blame it on the fever."

"Duly noted," Regina said, with a nod, as she led Emma back into her bedroom. It only took a split second to notice that the bed she'd left Zelena sleeping in was now notably vacant. "Now where did she go?"

Emma groaned, and made to turn toward the door to look for the little redhead, but Regina stopped her instantly. "Oh no you don't. You're going to bed. I'll find Zelena. I'll be back to check on you soon."

Emma nodded, and crawled back under the covers without another word of protest, as Regina set off to look for her sister. She supposed she would be easier to find if she actually knew anything about the girl, but for the time being, she'd just have to play hide and seek and hope to hell she hadn't escaped the house entirely.

Regina looked in Zelena's bedroom first, but there was no trace of the girl in there. She sighed and headed down the hall to Henry's room, where she found her soon laying on the bed with a book.

"Henry, have you seen Zelena?"

Henry looked up, surprised. "Uh, I thought you had her?"

"I did, but Emma got sick again and I went to check on her, and Zelena took off. I thought she was sleeping," Regina explained.

"Oh. Check the backyard. The house came with a swingset, and Zelena loves it," Henry suggested.

Regina headed down the stairs, and sure enough, found the door leading into the yard wide open. She stepped outside and found Zelena sitting on a swing, but not actually swinging, looking down at the ground.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Regina said, as she walked up to her sister. "What are you doing out here?"

Zelena looked up with a pout. "When's Emma gonna be better?"

Regina sighed and knelt down in front of Zelena, taking her little hands in her own. "Soon, honey. It's just a bug. She needs to sleep it off. How does your tummy feel now?"

Zelena shrugged. "Fine. I don't want Emma to be sick. I don't wanna be all alone."

"You're not all alone, honey. Henry and I are here, and we'll take care of you until Emma's better."

"Are you gonna stay here all night?"

Regina smiled and nodded. "Of course I will."

"But why?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Zelena shrugged again. "Emma takes care of me 'cause she found me. How come you take care of Emma?"

"Because Emma is my friend," Regina replied.

"Really? Cause you weren't very nice to her the first time I saw you," Zelena pointed out.

Regina sighed again. "I know. I was… having a hard time with some things. I should have been nicer to Emma, you're right. I'm trying to make that up to her now."

Zelena seemed to think on that for a moment, and then finally smiled. "I like when you're nice to Emma. Maybe you should come here more. But only if you keep being nice."

"I promise I will keep being nice. Now, let's head back inside. It's getting late."

Zelena reached out and took Regina's hand, and they headed back inside. The little girl didn't object to a bath, or getting her hair washed, and chatted away about anything and everything the whole time. Regina was relieved that she really did seem to be feeling better, and hope that meant Emma would be better soon, as well.

Zelena let Regina braid her hair and tuck her into her own bed, and though she pointed out more than once that Regina didn't read Green Eggs and Ham right, because Emma does different voices, it still wasn't long before the little redhead was fast asleep.

Regina couldn't resist the urge to plant a kiss on her little forehead before headed out to say 'good night' to Henry.

"Are you staying the night?" Henry asked, as Regina entered his bedroom again.

"I think I should," Regina said, nodding. "Just in case."

Henry leant his mother a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt, as she didn't feel it would be appropriate to borrow something from Emma while she was asleep. The clothing felt awkward to say the least, compared to what she was used to, but she supposed one night wasn't going to kill her.

After bidding her son good night, Regina headed back towards Emma's room to check on her, while debating internally whether she should sleep in Emma's room with her tonight, or down on the couch, which Zelena had so graciously offered her for sleepovers when Emma had first purchased it.

Regina smirked to herself, remembering how she'd told Zelena she wouldn't be sleeping over. Apparently, she'd spoken too soon.

Regina crept quietly up to Emma's bed, not wanting to wake the sleeping blonde, and she reached out to feel the temperature of Emma's forehead with the back of her wrist.

"I'm not asleep," Emma whispered, with a small smirk.

Regina sighed and shook her head. "You could have spoken up before I came creeping around in here."

Emma opened her eyes and smiled up at Regina. "I wanted to see what you were going to do. I heard you giving Zelena a bath. She's feeling better?"

Regina nodded. "Much. What about you?"

Emma shrugged. "Not so much."

Regina frowned down at her. "You're still warm," she noted, as she placed her wrist on Emma's forehead again.

"I feel freezing."

"That's what a fever does, dear. Can I get you anything?"

Emma shook her head. "No. What are you wearing?"

"Henry leant me something to sleep in. I'm going to stay the night. I assume you have no objection to that?"

Emma smiled again and shook her head. "Not at all. Where are you going to sleep?"

"I guess the couch, since you don't have a guest bedroom," Regina said, suddenly realizing she had no interest at all in sleeping on the couch.

"Or… you could sleep here. You know, in case I need you in the night," Emma said, biting her bottom lip as she expected Regina to shoot the idea down immediately.

"Well, I suppose it's not like you're contagious or anything," Regina said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Emma let out a small laugh as Regina pulled back the covers and slid under. "Is this okay?" she asked, suddenly wondering if she was overstepping.

Emma shrugged. "Well, I guess, but… I'm still really cold."

"What are you suggesting, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, raising her eyebrow at the smirking blonde.

"That maybe I'd be warmer if I had someone to cuddle with me?" Regina opened her mouth to protest, but Emma cut her off before she could. "I am sick, you know. It would make me feel better."

Regina sighed, but opened her arms up anyway. "Come over here, then," she said, and Emma wasted no time scurrying up close to Regina and snuggling up against her.

"I never had someone to take care of me when I was sick, you know?" Emma said, quietly, as she rest her head against Regina's chest. "So forgive me if I milk this for all it's worth."

"You're just lucky I promised Zelena that I would be nice to you," Regina pointed out, as she absent-mindedly started stroking Emma's hair.

"The kid's got my back," Emma grinned.

"Apparently so. Now go to sleep, dear. We can talk more in the morning."

"Will you make me pancakes?"

"Are you seriously thinking about food _while_ suffering from food poisoning?" Regina asked, though she was sure she shouldn't really be shocked.

Emma nodded. "It motivates me to get better."

"I see. If you are better in the morning, I will make you pancakes. But only if you stop talking and go to sleep. Now."

Emma resisted the urge to say something else just to goad Regina, for fear that she might not actually make pancakes in the morning. Instead, she just snuggled even closer to the brunette, and closed her eyes, wondering if Regina was aware that the fever was in no way messing with her head, and she had been as clear of mind as ever when she'd asked Regina to hold her.

Emma smiled to herself as she began to drift off to sleep, realizing that she'd never been so happy for food poisoning in her entire life.


	10. Chapter 10

********Chapter Ten****

* * *

In the morning, Emma was anything but well enough for pancakes. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and groaned against the light coming in through the window, as she felt like she hadn't slept all night.

Before Emma could even process her surroundings, she felt a hand on her forehead and nearly jumped out of her skin, until she remembered that Regina had spent the night with her last night. She cracked one eye open to peer at the other woman, who had a frown of concern on her face.

"You still have a fever," Regina commented.

"I still want pancakes," Emma said, even though her stomach was turning at the thought of actually eating. She didn't really want pancakes, she just wanted to give Regina a reason to say, assuming she'd be leaving now that it was morning and Zelena was better.

Regina gave Emma a stern look. "You're not having pancakes," she said. "You're staying in bed until you're better."

"I have a five year old to take care of, if you recall," Emma pointed out.

"I'll watch Zelena, you will rest. Got it?"

Emma nodded, knowing there would be no arguing with Regina this morning. She didn't really feel up to it anyway, if she were being honest. Rest didn't seem all that objectionable to her at the moment.

"It looks like a nice day out," Regina commented, glancing out the window. "Maybe I'll take Zelena to the park so you can have some peace and quiet."

"She has school," Emma reminded her.

"She can miss a day of kindergarten. She was sick yesterday and it's probably best to make sure she's in the clear before she goes back." Truthfully, Regina thought Zelena was just fine now, but she wanted to spend a little more time with her, anyway. She really could miss one day of kindergarten. "I'll call her teacher and let her know."

"Will you come back after?" Emma asked softly. She was nearly asleep again, but she needed that confirmation from Regina none the less.

"Yes, of course. Henry will still need to eat and I'm sure you won't be up for cooking. Also, I'll need to return Zelena."

Emma sighed and nodded. She'd wished that Regina would have said she needed to return to check on her, but she guessed as long as she was returning, the reason didn't really matter. She rolled over on her side, to escape the sunlight, and drifted back to sleep as Regina got up from the bed.

Regina stood and waved her hands over herself to change into a new outfit for the day. Henry's pajamas were one thing, but she wouldn't be going out in any of this clothing. She headed down the hall and found both Henry and Zelena's bedrooms empty, so she continued down the stairs to find the children.

She found them both on the couch watching cartoons. Henry had given up cartoons ages ago, so Regina had to appreciate the effort he was making to keep Zelena happy and to keep her out of Emma's hair while she recovered.

Regina made breakfast, and after the kids had eaten and changed and Henry was off to school, and Regina had called the kindergarten teacher, she suggested a trip to the park for Zelena.

"I have no kindergarten today?" Zelena asked.

"Not today, sweetie."

"Is Emma coming to the park?"

"Emma's still sleeping, remember? She doesn't feel well," Regina reminded her. "So we'll go out, just you and I, and let her rest, alright?"

"Is it my fault that Emma's sick?"

"No, honey. Why would you think that?"

Zelena shrugged. "I was sick and now Emma's sick. Bad things happen to people who love me, so that's why no one does."

"Oh, Zelena," Regina sighed. "That's not true. You and Emma got sick because of the food at the party. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just an accident. And she'll get better soon, just like you did."

Zelena nodded, and took Regina's hand as she led her out to the car to go to the park. The more time Regina spent with this little Zelena, the more she understood just how she grew up to become the Wicked Witch of the West. Regina knew first hand the damage that feeling unloved as a child could do to a person, and it was becoming more clear as time went on that Zelena was no better off from being away from Cora than Regina had been to be raised by her.

Once they were at the park, Zelena's spirits seemed to lift when she saw the other children already there, playing. She took off like a rocket toward the playground, but Regina's own spirits fell when she saw little Roland there. Of course, he should have been in kindergarten by now, but Robin and Marian were still from the Enchanted Forest, without new cursed personalities, and didn't see the value in sending him.

Regina should have known they'd be there. She hadn't seen Robin since their split. She'd been purposefully avoiding him, until the day she'd spotted him at the park when she'd come to tell Emma to send Zelena away. He'd caught her off-guard then, and she'd poofed away on instinct. A sudden departure would not be an option now, however.

Regina folded her arms nervously in front of her as she watched Zelena and Roland laugh as they chased each other around the playground. She'd already spotted Robin and Marian a few yards away, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they spotted her, as well, if they hadn't already.

She just hoped that neither of them would have the nerve to approach her.

But, alas, she could never be so lucky.

"Regina?" Regina cringed at Robin's voice, but forced herself to turn and face him, noting the confused look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and motioned toward the playground with one hand. "Zelena," she said, simply.

"Zelena?" Robin looked more confused than ever, and it suddenly occurred to Regina that perhaps the news of the de-aged Wicked Witch hadn't made it's way to the Merry Men's camp. For the most part, they effectively existed in a vacuum outside of Storybrooke, while remaining within the town line.

Regina sighed. "Long story," she said, "but that little redhead playing with Roland is my sister."

Robin let out a long sigh. "Do I even want to know?"

Regina shook her head. "Probably not. All you need to know is that it involved magic, Gold did it, and it's permanent. Nothing else is really pertinent."

"I see," Robin said, nodding as he looked over at Roland playing with Zelena.

Regina clenched her jaw when Robin made no attempt to walk back over to Marian, and Marian took it upon herself to join them instead. Regina exchanged a strained 'hello' with the other woman. Even though she didn't blame Marian for coming back from the past and upsetting her entire life, it didn't mean she had to be happy about seeing her, either.

"So, how have you been?" Robin asked, after several moments of uncomfortable silence.

"You really don't need to make small talk," Regina said, quietly. In fact, she was sure it was this forced small talk that was going to do her in.

"Regina, clearly your sister and my son are becoming friends," Robin pointed out. "We're going to cross paths. It would be nice if we could be civil."

"Won't be an issue. I'm not raising her. Emma is," Regina said with a shrug.

"Re-"

Robin was cut off by an ear piercing scream from the playground, and Regina's eyes darted back to wear Zelena now lay on the ground, beneath the slide. Without a second thought, she bolted across the grass and over the gravel to wear her tiny sister was now bawling.

"What happened?" Regina asked, panicked as she dropped to her knees next to Zelena, with no regard to how she was absolutely ruining the fabric of her expensive pant suit.

"She fell off," Roland said, once he'd reached the bottom of the ladder, and pointed up to the top of the slide, where Regina noted there was a safety rail missing. She'd have to have someone in immediately to fix that, as it was clearly an issue, but her sister's welfare was first and foremost on her mind at the moment.

"Where does it hurt, Zelena?" Regina asked. It was hard to tell as the child was curled up, and her hair was covering the majority of her face as she sobbed.

Shakily, Zelena held up an arm, and Regina caught it by the elbow, noting that her wrist was bent at a very awkward and painful looking angle. It was definitely broken.

"It's okay, honey, I can fix it," Regina assured her, and quickly waved a hand over Zelena's wrist, repairing it with her magic.

Zelena stopped crying in an instant, and sat up to stare at Regina with her big blue eyes. "How did you do that?" she whispered.

"Magic, sweetheart. Are you hurt anyplace else?"

Zelena shook her head quickly, and looked at Regina with serious eyes and a big frown. "Daddy says magic is bad. He said it makes me different and I shouldn't let people see it," Zelena stated.

Regina sighed. Of course Zelena had innate elemental magic, just like she had, as a child. She'd been unable to access hers as Cora had blocked it, and apparently Zelena had just chosen not to use hers, because she wasn't allowed.

"It's not bad, and it doesn't make you different. It makes you special, like me or like Emma," Regina explained.

She'd expected that Zelena would have liked to hear that, but instead she just continued to pout.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I started thinking about Mommy and Daddy. When are they coming to take me back?"

The question caught Regina by surprise. Sure, Zelena had cried for her mother last night when she was sick, but she wasn't sure what Emma had told her about her adoptive parents, and she wasn't exactly sure how to field this question.

"Honey, they're… they're not," Regina said, deciding that opting for the truth was probably the best idea, rather than letting this child cling to hope for something that wasn't about to happen. Or, perhaps it wasn't hope. Perhaps it was fear. Regina couldn't be sure. "You're staying with Emma now, forever. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Zelena shrugged. "I love Emma, but she's not my real family. I don't really belong here."

"Oh, honey. Emma might not be your family, but I am." The words were out before Regina even had a moment to think about what she was saying, and immediately, she knew she'd made a mistake. She should have said that family was more than blood, or mentioned how she'd adopted Henry to give the child a situation to relate to, but she'd said what she'd said and now it was out. Emma was probably going to kill her.

"What do you mean?" Zelena asked, more confused than ever.

Regina looked around, noting that Roland had run off to play with another child once Zelena had been healed, and no one else was within earshot. She was grateful that this wasn't going to get back to Emma before she had a chance to tell her herself, and deal with the fallout that would be coming from it.

"Zelena," Regina sighed. "The mother and father you remember from Oz, they aren't your birthparents. They adopted you. I don't know who your biological father is, but you and I share a mother. We're sisters."

Zelena's eyes widened in disbelief as she processed the information. It took her a moment to speak again. "Is that why they never really loved me?"

"Oh, honey," Regina sighed. "That had nothing to do with you being adopted. I didn't know them, but it sounds like maybe they just weren't very nice people. No one should ever make you feel like you're different, understand? And no one here ever will."

"Where is my real Mommy? Is she here?"

"She died, sweetheart. A long time ago. But Emma loves you and she's going to keep you and take good care of you. It doesn't matter that she's not related to you, honey. Love is what makes a family real, and that makes Emma your real family. Don't you ever doubt that, alright?"

"Okay," Zelena agreed with nod. "Can we go home and see Emma now? I miss her."

"Yes, sweetheart, we can. But listen, sweetheart: do me a favour, okay?"

"Okay."

"I shouldn't have told you we were sisters without telling Emma I was going to. Let me tell her myself that I did, alright?"

"Is she gonna be mad?" Zelena asked, quietly.

"Maybe, maybe not. But she won't be mad at you either way, so you don't have to worry about that. Just give me the chance to tell her myself, and apologize if I need to, alright?"

"Okay, Sissy," Zelena agreed with a big grin.

"Sissy?"

Zelena shrugged. "That's what other girls call their sisters," she informed her.

"Okay, but you can't call me that in front of Emma until I tell her, remember?"

Zelena nodded, and mimed locking her lips with a key.

"Alright then. Let's go home."

Regina took Zelena by the hand and led her back to the car, without so much as a wave goodbye to the Hood family. It wasn't exactly an intentional snub, but their presence slipped her mind as she silently dreaded Emma's reaction when the woman had explicitly told Regina she didn't want Zelena knowing the truth until she was sure Regina intended to stay in the child's life.

At this point, Regina was sure she did, but she wasn't quite so sure that she'd proven that intent to Emma.

But it was too late to second guess herself now. What was done was done, and she'd have to face the fall out, whatever it was. She started the car and hoped for the best.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

By the time Regina and Zelena had returned to Emma's, Emma was out of bed and in the kitchen, searching through pots in a cupboard. Zelena wasted no time dashing through the front door without so much as taking her shoes off, to wrap her arms tightly around Emma's legs.

"Emma! You're better?"

Emma smiled down at the little redhead, and Regina noted that she still looked paler than usual. "Getting there, sweet pea. Did you have fun at the park?"

Zelena nodded emphatically, her arms still around Emma's legs. "Uh huh! I played with Roland but then I fell down and got hurt."

"What?" Emma gasped. "Are you alright?"

Regina opened her mouth to answer for Zelena, but Zelena beat her to it with an, "Uh huh! Sissy fixed me with magic."

Emma's eyes snapped up to Regina, who looked just like a deer in the headlights at the moment. "Sissy?" Emma repeated, to Regina.

"Uh oh, I wasn't supposta tell you that."

Emma's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Oh, Regina asked you to keep a secret from me, too?"

"Emma, it's wasn't like that," Regina cut in, holding up her hands defensively, but Emma just shook her head and looked back down at Zelena.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go up to your room and play with some of the new toys I got you, okay? I need to talk to Regina for a minute."

"Are you mad at her?"

"I… just need to talk to her. There's nothing for you to worry about, alright? Everything's fine."

Zelena shot an uncertain look back at Regina, before nodding. She gave Emma one last squeeze around the legs before taking off up the stairs to her bedroom. Once Emma was sure she was out of earshot, she turned her attention back to Regina.

"So, you told her she's your sister when I specifically asked you not to?"

"Emma, it… it was an accident. It just… came out."

"And then, what? You told her not to tell me? Or did you tell her not to tell me she got hurt?"

"No, no not at all. I just wanted to be the one to tell you myself. Emma, she caught me off guard. Robin was at the park, so I was already on edge, then Zelena got hurt, and I panicked. Then she started asking about her adoptive parents and I just… it slipped out."

"Well, do I need to remind you that the entire reason that we're even here or that Storybrooke even exists is because of how badly you reacted when someone else let something 'slip out'?"

"Emma, that's not fair."

"No, you're right, it's not fair. It's not fair that you wanted absolutely nothing to do with her and you even wanted me to send her away, and then you spend one morning with her and now you want to be her sister? Now everything I've done isn't going to matter because you're her blood and that's going to trump everything."

"Is that what you really think?" Regina asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "Is that what happened when Henry found you? Did blood trump everything?"

"That was different. You raised him from birth. I've only had a short amount of time with her. So little, it will be inconsequential in the long run. We don't… she's not going to care if you suddenly decide you want her instead. Trust me, I know how easy it is to forget one caregiver when you move on to another."

"Emma," Regina said, with a sigh. "I have no intention of trying to take her from you. Do I regret trying to send her away? Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm suddenly interested in being her new mother. You wanted to take on that role and you're doing just fine. There's no reason for me to come in between."

Emma bit her lip and turned back to the still open cupboard of pots, finally pulling one out.

"And, Emma… you're not just 'one caregiver' to her, you know that, right?"

Emma ignored her as she set the pot on the stove and started looking through another cupboard.

"Emma, what are you doing? You really should still be resting."

"I was hungry," Emma said, quietly. "I don't feel sick anymore. I was going to make some soup."

"Can I help you?"

Emma shook her head. "It's just from a can, Regina. I can handle it."

"Of course. Do you want me to leave, then?"

Emma shrugged as she grabbed the can opener. "No. If you leave now Zelena's going to be upset and think I'm mad. She's a sensitive kid."

"Right." Regina stood awkwardly, watching Emma as she got to work on the can of chicken noodle soup, suddenly wishing she was anyplace but this kitchen right now. "I'll, um, go check on Zelena then."

Emma didn't respond, so Regina took her lack of protest to mean that it was alright, and turned to leave the kitchen, quickly. She headed up the stairs, and found Zelena on her bedroom floor, playing with some Duplo blocks.

"That's quite an impressive tower you've got there," Regina commented, as she stepped over and sat down on the floor next to her sister.

"I know," Zelena said, grinning proudly at her creation. "I'm gonna build it all the way to the sky!"

Regina smiled. "Well, maybe I can help you?"

Zelena nodded and handed Regina a block. "Is Emma mad at you?"

"She's a little upset with me, yes. But we'll be alright."

Zelena studied Regina's eyes for a moment, before returning her attention back to her tower. "If she loves me, she should love you too."

"That's not exactly how it works, sweetheart."

"Oh."

"But it doesn't really matter, because what matters is that she loves you. You know that, right?"

Zelena nodded absently, and Regina could tell she was far more interested in her tower than in anymore emotional conversations at the moment. She decided to let it go for now, and play with her sister.

* * *

Emma's hands were shaking as she poured her soup into the pot on the stove. She already knew she was over-reacting, but she wasn't really used to being able to hold on to good things. Her entire life, she'd been sent away from family after family, and now that she finally felt like she was forming a little family of her own, it was hard not to stress over something - or someone - that could potentially take it all away.

Rationally, she knew Regina wasn't going to do that, but it didn't matter. Regina was still something to Zelena that she could never be, and even with her best efforts, she wasn't sure how well she'd stack up as far as her mothering skills were concerned.

With Henry, even if she got a little jealous from time to time, deep down she knew that her bond with him could never be what Regina's bond with him was. She had accepted that much, and she'd forged her own bond with Henry that was different, but just as important to her, even if there was always a piece that would be missing.

With Zelena, however, she had a different opportunity. She had the opportunity to raise a child, and to have that sort of bond. Sure, it wasn't from birth, but Emma knew that Zelena was young enough that her time from before would be mostly forgotten.

Still, she felt bad about reacting the way she had. Regina had just spent the night taking care of her, and she supposed the truth was going to have to come out at some point, anyway. She couldn't keep it from Zelena forever, and thought she would have liked to have a say in when and how it happened, it was too late for that now.

Emma left the soup in the pot, never bothering to turn the burner on as she turned and left the kitchen, heading up the stairs to Zelena's room. When she reached the doorway, she saw Regina lifting Zelena up so she could add blocks to a tower that was at least a foot taller than she was already.

Emma crossed her arms and leaned her back against the doorframe, smiling in spite of everything. Regina and Zelena hadn't noticed her yet, and for the moment, Emma was content to watch the scene in front of her.

After all, wasn't this what she'd wanted when she'd brought Zelena to Regina's mansion the very first night she found her? To offer Regina a chance to bond with her sister, and hope for the future even after having her heart broken?

"Oh, Emma," Regina said, slightly surprised as she caught sight of Emma when she put Zelena back down.

"Emma, look how tall our tower is!" Zelena beamed, excitedly.

"It's beautiful, baby."

Emma didn't think it was possible for Zelena's smile to get any wider, and yet somehow it did at the compliment.

"Are you still mad at Regina?" Zelena ask, quietly, her smile fading a little as she seemed to pick up on the tension still in the room.

"No," Emma said, turning her eyes to Regina, and looking at her as she spoke to Zelena. "I just overreacted. She is your sister and you have a right to know that. I don't to keep any family from you because that's not fair."

Zelena caught Emma off-guard with a lunging hug around her legs, and Emma was grateful that she was still leaning against the door frame, or she likely would have fallen over. Her heart fluttered at the realization that even though Zelena now knew who Regina was to her, Emma was still the one she ran to. Perhaps Regina was right. Maybe she really was more than just 'one caregiver' to this child.

Maybe she really was becoming her mother.

"Hey, Leenie," Emma said, scooping the little girl up in her arms and speaking into her ear in a whisper loud enough that Regina could surely hear it. "Maybe you should ask Regina if she wants to come for dinner tonight?"

Zelena grinned and turned to Regina. "Sissy, do you want to?" she asked, excited.

Emma watched as the tension in Regina's face faded into a relaxed smile, and she hoped that Regina knew this invitation was her form of an apology. "Yes, I'd love to."

"She said yes!" Zelena declared.

"Great," Emma said, smiling at she looked back at Regina again. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was different now. Something was changing, she was sure, and it had more to do with than just this little girl in her arms who clearly needed both of them in her life.

Emma wasn't quite sure what exactly was going on between them now, but she was grateful to see a real smile back on Regina's face, and she was looking forward to seeing more of that in the future. She guessed she didn't need to analyze it all right now, anyway. There would be time for that down the line. For now, she supposed she could just play it by ear and see what happened.

Starting with dinner, tonight.

* * *

 **I know it's been forever and a day since I've updated anything, but I'm trying to get back into the swing and get back into some of my older stories. Never fear, I haven't abandoned any of them!**

 **And, as always, you can find me on Tumblr as rowark-sq if you're ever wondering what I'm up to and/or working on, or if you want to send me prompts or just be my friend!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

"Are we, uh, expecting company?" Henry asked as he strolled into the kitchen after school to find Emma hard at work preparing a meal. There were pots and pans and cookbooks everywhere, and he knew something was up.

Emma nodded without looking up from the cutting board she was busy dicing onions on. "Yeah, actually. Your mom."

"My mom?" Henry repeated, dropping his backpack on a chair and stepping closer, watching Emma with a bemused grin. "It looks like you're trying to feed an army here."

"What? No it doesn't. I just… whatever. I wanted a back-up in case the main course doesn't turn out."

"And a back-up for the back-up?"

Emma shrugged. "There will be lots of options. And left-overs. Stop judging me."

Henry laughed. "Okay, fine. But, uh, mom?"

"What, Henry?"

"Why are you going this all out? My mom would have been fine if you just ordered pizza or something. I mean, if you put it on a plate, but still."

"Because," Emma said, finally turning to look at him, "sometimes family dinner is nice, alright? I'm not going all out… I'm just… being a good hostess."

"Sure."

"Why don't you go check on Zelena, alright? She's up in her room and she's awfully quiet."

"Okay," Henry agreed, and headed off in the direction of Zelena's room.

When he reached Zelena's room, he found the girl sitting on the floor surrounded by papers and crayons, feverently colouring in a picture.

"Whatcha drawing, Kid?" Henry asked, as she peeked over her shoulder to look.

"A family," Zelena replied, somewhat hesitantly.

Henry nodded as he took the picture in. There were four people, two taller ones who he assumed must be the parents, one with yellow hair and one with dark brown, and two shorter people, one with lighter brown hair and one with bright red. It wasn't hard to tell who these people were meant to be, even if they were stick figures.

"That looks like us," Henry commented, crouching down on the floor next to Zelena.

"Me, you and Emma," Zelena confirmed, pointing out the first three figures. "And Sissy."

"Sissy?"

Zelena nodded. "Regina is my sissy, she told me so."

"Oh," Henry said, nodding. Clearly a lot had gone on today while he'd been at school.

"And she sleeped here last night. She can be part of our family, right?"

"She is. She's my mom."

Zelena looked at him, confused. "I thought Emma was your Mommy?"

"I have two moms. They're both my moms."

Zelena stared at him a moment, processing that, before nodding. "Then I want two moms, too," she said, decidedly. "If you have two, then I want two."

"I don't think that's quite how it works."

"Why not? Sissy said my Mommy and Daddy are never coming back. It's not fair if you get two and I get none! I want Emma and Sissy to be my mommies, too!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Henry said. "You can ask them about it tonight, alright?"

At that, Zelena smiled and got back to colouring her picture, and Henry sighed, wondering exactly how this family Zelena wanted was going to work out.

* * *

Henry and Zelena were still upstairs when there was a knock at the door. Emma had just finished putting everything out on the table, and she quickly brushed her hair back from her face and made sure there was nothing splattered on her jeans as she made her way to the door.

She'd never been overly concerned with how she looked when Regina came over, but tonight felt different. After Regina spending the night the night before and after their little spat later that morning, Emma just wanted this night to go smoothly.

Regina was letting herself in by the time Emma reached the door, and Emma just watched her enter with a small smile on her face.

"Hey," Emma greeted, the moment Regina was inside and shutting the door behind her.

"Hey."

"Perfect timing. Dinner's ready. I'll just go get the kids from upstairs."

"Wait," Regina said, stopping her before she could turn away. "I have something for you first."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Something for me."

Regina nodded, and pulled a manila envelope from her purse.

"What is it?" Emma asked, eyeing the envelope with intrigue.

"Open it and see," Regina said, handing it to her.

Emma accepted it, and cast Regina one more curious glance before ripping the envelope open. Inside, she found papers - legal documents - similar to some she'd seen in the past, and she recognized them right away.

"Adoption papers?" she asked, quietly. "Regina…?"

"Look," Regina insisted, pointing at the papers again. "They're for you; for Zelena."

Emma looked down again, and sure enough that's exactly what the papers stated. There was a small yellow post it note indicating where Emma should sign to make the whole thing official.

Emma shook her head. "But… why? She's not really an orphan. She's not even in the system."

"It's… I just… I wanted you to know I really have no intention of trying to overstep here, Emma. You were the one who wanted to give her a home right from the start, and even if adoption isn't necessary, I just thought…"

Emma smiled, as the full impact of the gesture resonated with her. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Regina asked, as she noticed the tears starting to fall from Emma's eyes.

Emma nodded, and wiped them with the back of her hand. "Yeah, yeah… I just," Emma let out a heavy sigh. "I spent my whole life waiting for the family who would sign papers like this for me. And then… well, I gave Henry up and I just never thought I'd be in the position to adopt a child. It just really means a lot to me. Thank you, Regina."

"You're welcome," Regina said with a smile, as she placed a hand on Emma's. The moment was cut short, however, by a little redhead bounding into the room.

"Sissy! You came!"

"Of course I did, sweetheart. You invited me remember?"

Zelena nodded absently, already turning to Emma and holding up her drawing. "Look, Emma! It's us! Me, you, Henry and Sissy!"

"That's beautiful, Lenie. I'll hang it on the fridge, alright? But it's time to go eat, before everything gets cold."

Henry had already made his way into the dining room by the time his mothers and Zelena joined him. Emma had barely managed to get food onto Zelena's plate and then her own before the little one started talking again.

"Emma, Henry says he has two moms!"

"He does," Emma confirmed. "Regina and me. Which… makes him your nephew."

Henry let out a small laugh. "Great, now I have an aunt that's younger than me, too!"

But Zelena wasn't interested in hearing how she was related to Henry. "I don't have any mom," she continued.

"Actually, Regina brought a surprise for us today, Lenie. Adoption papers. As soon as I sign them and file them, I'll be your mom."

Zelena's eyes went wide with excitement. "Really? And I can stay forever and ever?"

"Of course."

"And then Henry can be my brother?"

Emma nodded. "Yep, I guess so." Emma glanced at Henry, who was smiling down at his plate as he ate. She knew he liked nothing more than gaining family.

"But Henry has _two_ moms," Zelena said, again.

"I know. Me and Regina."

Zelena looked up at Regina, who was watching her intently as the conversation was unfolding. "I want two moms. It's not fair!"

Regina cast a quick glance at Emma, hoping that she wouldn't get upset. Afterall, proving to Emma that she thought she was more than capable of being Zelena's mother and that she had no intention of getting in the way of that was the whole point of this.

But Emma just smiled. "Lenie, Regina's your sister, remember? She's still your family."

"Okay," Zelena agreed, reluctantly.

Emma sighed, knowing that this was something they were going to have to address, sooner rather than later. Zelena's penchant for jealousy had caused so much destruction in the past, and Emma wanted to nip this in the bud now that she had the chance.

* * *

After dinner, Henry took Zelena into the other room to watch TV, while Emma and Regina worked on dishes.

"What a day," Emma said, shaking her head as she filled the sink with soapy water.

Regina nodded in agreement. "Life is always a little more turbulent with a small child around, and I'm afraid I didn't really help matters this morning. I really am sorry about that, Emma."

Emma shrugged. "It's fine, really. I overreacted. And it all worked out alright in the end. But I am a little worried now."

"Worried about what?" Regina asked, taking a dish from Emma to dry.

"That whole jealousy thing. I haven't seen her be anything but grateful for everything I've given her here, but tonight…"

Regina smiled. "She's five. It's normal, trust me. But you'll give her love and safety and security - all the things she needs but doesn't quite realize it yet."

"You're sure? Because we know what a lifetime of jealousy did to her the first time."

"I'm sure. She's not going to grow up the same this time, not with your influence."

"And you're really sure I can handle this?"

"Yes, Emma, I really am."

Emma smiled, feeling herself finally relax. "Thanks."

* * *

When Regina returned home that evening, the mansion felt massive, and cold, and empty, compared to Emma's warm home full of people and noise. Even though she and Emma had been sharing custody of Henry for quite some time, Regina had never been able to get used to being in the house by herself. It occurred to her that that may have been a driving factor in her desire to hold on to Robin at all costs, because while she found she didn't exactly miss him, per say, she didn't care for being by herself, either.

Regina poured herself a glass of wine, and sat down on the couch, pulling a blanket around herself and curling her legs up under her. She thought about how she really didn't miss Robin. She'd thought she would - she'd been ready to kill Emma when she'd brought Marian back and ruined everything - but she didn't.

She sighed, thinking about how cold and cruel she'd been to Emma in the days following her return from the past. Truthfully, she was amazed that Emma had even forgiven her for that. Or for trying to force her to send Zelena away. There were a million reasons why Emma could have shut her out of this new life she was embarking on, and yet she didn't.

Regina chewed on her lip as she stared at the wine in her glass. A realization was slowing starting to sink in: she missed Emma. She'd just left her house, and yet she missed her presence. She missed her smile and her laugh and just being around her. She missed her the way she should have missed Robin, but didn't.

And Regina was sure that meant something.

She just wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do about it.

* * *

 **To be continued**


End file.
